Hi all,

*Stares blissfully at images of spring and starts crying*. It may be warming up across the northern hemisphere as spring makes its arrival with lovely winds and budding flora, but unfortunately it's going to be cold and miserable on the Apostle Islands for just a little while longer. RIP pray for Wish and her sanity. After the blizzard, a frightening tundra awaits the island cats. Fortunately, as the moon waxes and wanes this month, the snow will begin to melt and the prey will return to the forest! Hallelujah!

This month, we're posting reminders about the Valentines Thread Contest and Bio updating event. Since it's the meteorological start of spring, we're also announcing this season's OTS's. The meat of this month's update belongs in the Site Updates section. We got new territory sub-boards, updated Clan/Tribe information, updated plot thread, updated lore, new secondary characters, a brand new NPC bio & Canon and Plot Adopts, a Gathering, new awards, and our usual monthly plot updates and patrols! Yep! Our fingers hurt!


UPDATES ---

• Valentines thread contest reminder
• Bio updating event reminder
• OTS's
• Gathering
  
• New territory sub-boards
• New Clan/Tribe information
• Updated plot thread
• Updated lore
  
• Graystar NPC & Canon Adopts
• Secondary Characters release
• New site awards
  
• Monthly patrols
• Plot updates

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ---

A big Happy Birthday to our barely ethical bog queen wish on March 12. We hope you see SO many spaniels on your walk with Ferris, relax reading saucy Outlander chapters, all the vintage jeans are in your future, and you receive many carrot cakes as a peace offering to our island overlord. Alright everyone, reply to your romance threads today and shower this gal with love.

Happy birthday to our resident sloot slut slop sloth on March 16! May your special day be filled with big-man kisses from Sunny, all of the elegant poses from Kimba (like sticking his head into another perfectly sized box), and some peaceful birb watching with Stormy and Poppy. We also hope you get some relaxing, birthday down-time before it's baby-time, ah!

Another birthday shout-out to our good pal captain ! We hope you get to reign over your birthday with the sheer elegance, power, and command of Icesong. May everyone do your bidding  We also hope you get to cuddle up with Lemon & Lime and enjoy all of your favorite b-day festivities!

Last but certainly not least, we want to wish a big ole birthday to our very own Bandit ! Yay! Happy happy birthday! May you get some quality time in at the barn, with not 1 or 2 or even 3 but 4 horses! And then all of the silly Bastian and Pippin shenanigans at home. Also we are currently manifesting the dankest memes for your viewing pleasure 🙏

ACTIVITY CHECK ---

Reply to the announcements thread with the form below.

[b]Member Name:[/b] name here
[b]Post:[/b] Link to ya one post
[b]Hiatus Notice:[/b] Yes/No and if so, a return date


VALENTINES THREAD CONTEST ---

Here on TA, it's a whole extra month of love, uwu. With the start of March, we have one more month to wrap up our Valentines Thread Contest! The finished threads are due March 31, 2023. Friendly reminder that threads require a minimum of six posts, a head nod to your secret "valentine", and a narrative conclusion to count as finished. We hope everyone has had a fun time incorporating these valentines! Whether it be the perfect one-liner or created some funky somersaults into your date, we're so excited to read what you've crafted!

BIO UPDATING EVENT --

As a reminder, our bio updating event will extend over the course of three months! With February done and gone Wow, already!?, we're rolling into our second month of the event. Please visit the February Announcements to refresh on the rules and enticing prizes.

MEMBER OF THE SEASON

Can we even have TA without maxx From the beginning, Maxx was one of the first members to join our site back in 2019, and we haven't been the same since! Her dedication to the site was obvious from the moment she created us a character creation tutorial video FOR FUN, not to mention! She's the entire reason we even have Game Night, AND our first M-OTS winner! Now she's back to reclaim her crown as our most deserved M-OTS! Congratulations, Maxx! She rps the following characters: Orchidshade, Tigerpool, Larchtail, Fayre, Mothfern, Juniperfang, Foxclaw, Pearlfeather, Leopardface, Bonepaw,  Rain That Falls in Morning, and Cipher.

Maxx isn’t just an absolute, bad-ass queen OOC. Though ok, all of the work she puts into our contest/events needs it's own star-wars-crawl-esque shout-out too! But her posts IC are SO GOOD. If it wasn’t for her rp-ing our most cherished medicine cat Orchidshade, who knows where Finchstar would be today! Or how about our big muscled daddy Tigerpool, or our cool, bad-to-the-bone Foxclaw? And we must give a shout-out to our soft but maturing Mothfern who can even aid the densest of cats hello Blazingstorm. It is absolutely our pleasure to have you Maxx, because without you especially for us staff, we would be a mess!

CHARACTER OF THE SEASON

From the very beginning, back when Minnowstar was still alive and at least 2% sane, Quickstrike was lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Although he was rather reserved and unassuming in his youth, he possessed an absurdly sharp intuition and a desire for change, which is why he was so integral in establishing the rebellion, and eventually  taking over as their leader when Nightclaw left LichenClan. This was just the start of our iron-willed deputy, and only the beginning of the many reasons why we love him! Congratulations, Annie for rp-ing such an iconic man!

Quickstrike’s arc has been a long, complex journey beginning with his reserved, unassuming nature, to becoming the Clan's new deputy after Minnowstar's downfall. Yes, being a rebellion leader was not enough for this ambitiously good guy! He's done it all, from adopting and raising Cressclaw and Spiderfrost as his own, to giving the final, be-all, end-all blow to Minnowstar’s tyrannical reign! But besides all that, what do we really love about him? Those banger speeches? His steamy, romantic relationship with Lavendermist? His handsome, hunky stunning looks? What about all 3?! We're excited to see how you help lead Yarrowstar into greater times for LichenClan!

RELATIONSHIP OF THE SEASON

When it comes to warm-hearted, ooey-gooey, rot-your-teeth-level relationships, there's nothing quite like Shadepool x Meadowpaw! It feels like it was only yesterday when Meadowkit was a tiny, sick kit in the medicine cat's den and Shadepool was still a 'paw,' subconsciously giving Meadowkit her first taste of the herb magic! And now, more than a full OOC year later, they reign supreme in our eyes as this season's R-OTS! Quick yet kind on the job, these two knock it out of the park, whether in the casual atmosphere of camp or in the thick of a bloody battle! Congratulations to fallenreaper and sloth for such a well played and heart-warming partnership!

From playing herb games and memorizing healing remedies to discussing the importance of prophetic prophecies, these two always find equal footing with one another. Their patience as a team and their determination as individuals makes them a powerful force, not just as ThistleClan's medicine cats, but as two friends genuinely wanting to see other improve! Together they can face any threat, even if it's just Firfoot making them go out to spar As a new danger seeps into the frosty winds, will this golden team be able to translate StarClan’s mysterious visions? We sure believe in them!

THREAD OF THE SEASON

Did any of you expect such a bloody conclusion to this family of rogues? We sure didn’t! Hawthorn was supposed to be Lily’s pride and joy, trained to be next in line in his mother’s reign of terror on the Clans. But he soon became his mother's worst nightmare, catching onto her inconsistencies and flaws, and eventually took her life. Gasp! Plot twist! As Lily's new golden child, Poppy was quick to avenge her mother's death, which brings us to this month's shocking T-OTS! Equivalent Exchange gives us the bittersweet conclusion to our wayward family of rogues. Congratulations to Egotistic and lightning for such a thrilling performance of literature!

The thread begins with Hawthorn and Poppy coming face to face after Lily's death. Poppy immediately declares her intentions of killing the last cat standing in the way of their mother’s vision, Hawthorn. But Hawthorn refuses to take a swing at her and tries to reason with his sister and professing his deep love for her and their family. But Hawthorn was too late in showing his affection. Poppy lunged at her brother, ending his life, and her family, once and for all. Now alone and aimless, Poppy carries on without the cats that raised her, wondering with an empty heart: What do I do now? Only time will tell, our sweet Poppy.

GATHERING: NEW-LEAF 2023 ---

Gatherings are back baby! With the end of the Great War and the start of the new-leaf season, the Clans are gathering around the falls during a rare period of peace...for now. With mysterious visitors in attendance and a *gasp* worthy announcement, this Gathering is turning out to be very 👁️

Check out the official Gathering: New-leaf 2023 thread for more information. As a reminder, Gathering's have shifted to a seasonal, single-thread format, where your characters, if in attendance, can mingle with one another and react to the announcements shared in the thread. New-leaf Gathering threads are allowed to be created from March 1 to May 31.

TERRITORY SUB-BOARD EXPANSION -

To achieve one of the most highly requested updates, staff sacrificed their fingers and minds this past February and typed out new territory boards, sub-boards, and descriptions. You’ll find boards and sub-boards that describe in more detail areas of the various camps and territories. We’re also excited to now have a dedicated section for Tunnel Cats! We hope you have fun exploring the island.

CLAN/TRIBE INFORMATION UPDATE -

After combing through your survey results and playing 5D chess with ourselves for the past 3 months, we've updated the Clan/Tribe information thread with brand new sections for each Clan, Tribe, and outsiders! This includes new information about hierarchies, training, fighting, mating & kits, and customs/traditions for each Clan/Tribe and new information about the Tunnel cats 'stance' within the plot. We've also updated our Lore and Plot thread to include new information from the surveys and end of Plot 1. So check them out!

We also want to encourage you to incorporate this information into your threads and characters whenever possible! From creating your own warrior vigils threads to finding your RedwoodClan character a 'battle partner' for life to starting some ThistleClan duels, this new information is yours to play with and use as you see fit!

We will not be doing any of this as 'staff-mandated' or 'staff-run.' So you do not need our permission to thread your ThistleClan apprentices kicking each other's asses or your tribe to-bes visiting the Stone that Never Ends! We just want you to have fun with it, and really lean into making each faction as unique and special as possible 🙂

NPC BIO & CANON ADOPTS:GRAYSTAR

*Drumroll please* The wait is over! We're introducing the highly anticipated Graystar NPC bio. We hope all of you ThistleClan fans out there are pumped! Because Graystar is the reason for the season, the quintessential ThistleClanner. We hope you enjoy reading about this mad lad and all of his adventures, and if you find yourself absolutely smitten, then may we also introduce you to his Canon Adopts 👀

To go along with our new adopts, we've also formally updated the staff-run adopts thread to include Plot Adopts. Plot Adopts will feature a 'your character here' template, and instead of adopting a canon character, you will be 'adopting' the plot points to apply to your character. We have 3 plot adopts to kick off the feature, 2 connected to Vega and the tunnel cats, and 1 for the tribe, so please check them out and apply!

SECONDARY CHARACTERS --

We're finally giving a name and 'rules' to a concept that's existed on the site for a while: Secondary Characters. In a nutshell, secondary characters are important plot characters, such as Vega or Lily, who have substantial influence on the plot, but are not high positions, such as leaders or medicine cats. We wanted to introduce the concept, so it's formally tied in with our Canon & Plot Adopts, and write up some ground rules to make the 'concept' a fair, shared, and unique experience on the site.

The most important 'rule' we've added is that members can only roleplay 1 secondary character at a time. You can read more about them on the High Position & Secondary Characters thread.

NEW AWARDS --

After whipping Rain in the back-room for 3 months straight, they've finally finished 21 brand new spankin' awards for the site! These include both IC/OOC achievements, so get threadin' if you want to collect 'em all and check out the Site Awards to see 'em! If you have any other 'award' ideas, please keep dm-ing them to Rain! We're always happy to send them back into the cellar cancel me, do it.

MONTHLY PATROLS AND PLOT UPDATE

For March, we'll be continuing with our winter-themed threads post-blizzard. While meteorological spring is technically here, the snow will be staying around until the end of March. So NO snow melt yet! It will be a gradual change to warmer temperatures and returning prey as the month progresses. With the full moon upon us, March also brings the new-leaf Gathering. So make sure to jump into the main thread or to create an individual thread to take advantage of the Gathering experience!

For the upcoming new-leaf season, you will have the opportunity to explore the following scenarios:

• Survive the harsh winter climate post-blizzard
• Relish in the slow return of new-leaf (closer to end of month)
• Participate in the Gathering
• Converse with the tunnel cats
  

Note: Be sure to check out the March Patrols!

REDWOODCLAN

While trying to find prey during the blizzard, a RedwoodClan hunting patrol stumbles upon Fog lost in the snow. Disorientated by the raging storm, the Tribe cat stumbles unknowingly into RedwoodClan land. The Redwood warriors are surprised to find Fog, who has been imprisoned in ThistleClan for most of the leaf-bare. They welcome him back to their camp. Following the blizzard, Finchstar and Icesong work to restore their prey stocks. Bouncefire chooses to leave RedwoodClan and runs away, leaving a distraught Orchidshade who is now without an apprentice and deeply troubled by her recent visit to the lagoon.

Warriors of RedwoodClan can explore the following scenarios this leaf-bare:

• Survive the harsh winter climate post-blizzard and hunt for the Clan
• Relish in the slow return of new-leaf (closer to end of month)
• Go and participate in the Gathering
• Visit with Fog

RWC NEWS:

• Fog is found in the blizzard and stays with RedwoodClan until he can return home
• Bouncefire runs away from RedwoodClan, leaving Orchidshade without an apprentice
• Loudstorm finds a lost rogue kitten in the blizzard and brings her back to camp. She becomes Whitepaw.
• RedwoodClan attends the Gathering

THISTLECLAN
Stagstar agrees to let Fog leave camp on a hunting patrol during the blizzard, unbeknownst to Firfoot. The hunting patrol gets lost in the blizzard and Fog is separated them. He unknowingly wanders into RedwoodClan territory, while Yewthorn and Cherrybite struggle to find him on the other side of the creak. The storm becomes too dangerous, forcing them to return to camp empty-pawed, much to Firfoot's chagrin. All hopes of a future tribe alliance are lost. Shadepool and Meadowpaw return home from the half-moon with troubling visions.

Warriors of ThistleClan can explore the following scenarios this leaf-bare:

• Survive the harsh winter climate post-blizzard and hunt for the Clan
• Relish in the slow return of new-leaf (closer to end of month)
• Kick Yewthorn's ass for losing the prisoner
• Go and participate in the Gathering

TC NEWS:

• ThistleClan loses their prisoner in the blizzard and returns home empty-pawed
• ThistleClan welcomes three new apprentices: Kestrelpaw, Pipitpaw, and Larkpaw
• ThistleClan attends the Gathering

LICHENCLAN
Yarrowstar leads his Clan through a healing and meditative confession the night before the Gathering, where he works with Quickstrike and his medicine cats to slowly rehabilitate his Clan. They return to camp just before the blizzard hits, forcing them to remain in the tunnels until the storm ends. Yarrowstar plans to attend the Gathering and announce the MoonCave as neutral territory, free for all cats to visit and receive spiritual healing from. Briarfall and Lilacpaw return from the half-moon after receiving troubling visions. Briarfall starts to wonder if sharing the MoonCave is a good idea or not based on her dream.

Warriors of LichenClan can explore the following scenarios this leaf-bare:

• Participate in the confession thread as a loyalist
• Survive the harsh winter climate post-blizzard and hunt for the Clan
• Relish in the slow return of new-leaf (closer to end of month)
• Go and participate in the Gathering

LC NEWS:

• Yarrowstar and Quickstrike bring the former loyalist through confession
• LichenClan welcomes two new apprentices: Ghostpaw and Bonepaw
• LichenClan attends the Gathering, where they announce the MoonCave as neutral land

THE TRIBE
After being denied by the Tribe of Endless Life and nearly dying in the blizzard, Sumac doubles down on his rules and begins enforcing them with a new and terrifying vigor. He refuses to let his Tribe slip out of his claws and perish, so he looks towards more serious measures regarding punishments. Disobedient tribe-mates are sent to solitary confinement on the isles, where they are given little food and guarded by his supporters. Across the lake, Fog is taken in by RedwoodClan after getting lost in the blizzard with a ThistleClan hunting patrol.

Tribe members of the Tribe can explore the following scenarios this leaf-bare:

• Obediently follow or enforce Sumac's new rules
• Challenge Sumac and his rules, risking the chance of punishment
• Try to hunt for the Tribe after the devastating blizzard
  
• Try to survive on the isles during isolation
  

TRIBE NEWS:

• The Tribe of Endless Life denies Sumac as their new teller
• Sumac and the guards almost perish trying to hunt in the blizzard
• Sumac begins sending disobedient tribe-mates to the isles for punishment
• Fog ends up in RedwoodClan after getting lost in the blizzard
  

OUTSIDERS
Cast to the northern peninsula after Lily, Hawthorn, and Oleander's deaths, Poppy takes shelter with the rogues who used to follow Lily. Anger and thoughts of revenge in her heart, the she-cat gathers her rogues once the deadly blizzard comes to a stop, and introduces her intentions to go after the Clan cats and form a new group for them to fear: Celandine.

Invited to attend the Gathering, Vega and a few members of his family join the Clan cats under the full moon. In their presence, he makes an announcement, declaring their intentions to protect the lagoon, and therefore StarClan, from harm and to preserve the peace as a neutral party on the Island. He asks the Clan cats to send one of their own to join his family in the tunnels.

Outsiders can explore the following scenarios this leaf-bare:

• Join Poppy and her new group to enact revenge against the Clans
• Survive the harsh winter climate following the events of the blizzard
• Seek out or run into other outsiders or Clan cats
• Explore the tunnels and the territory beneath the island
• Help Vega protect the lagoon and maintain peace on the island

OUTSIDER NEWS:

• Poppy starts building her new group: Celandine
• Vega and his family attend the Gathering and ask 1 Clan cat from each Clan to join him in the tunnels

AGEING ---

Characters will age one moon this month. Staff will update the allegiances, while members are responsible for their own character biographies. Characters that were created or born in the last week do not have to age and can wait for the next month.

Remember if you have apprentices reaching warrior age check out the requirements and ensure you meet them before putting in a ceremony request.

Note:

Yew x Morning kits are six moon old.

Duck x Soot x Hallow kits are six moons old.

Wave x Falcon kits are five moons old.

Smoke x Mist kits are three moons old.

Hemlock x River kits become playable at one moon on April 6, 2023.

MENTOR ASSIGNMENTS ---

Kestrelpaw (lightning ) - Softstep (Egotistic )
Pipitpaw (Kazuko ) - Spruceshade (storm )
Larkpaw (Annie ) - Fallenfire (rain )

Ghostpaw (Egotistic ) - Emberscorch (Silverfire )
Bonepaw (maxx ) - Fogheart (storm )

FUTURE UPDATES ---

And that's a wrap on our beefy, overloaded March announcement! Whew! Everyone might need to take a breather. We know we need one, oooof! Next month, we're planning some fun plot events And a possible new contest! So keep chugging along on your Valentines Threads and updating your bios. We have some longer stretch goals, like updating the Island timeline format, that we'll be working on over the next month or so, but expect April to be a bit more tame 🙏

We hope everyone gets to enjoy some warming weather! Spring is almost here!

Best,
The Apostles Staff