Let's get ready to ruuuuuuummmmmble 🪑 Everybody's favorite word-counting competition is back! NaNoWriMo 2024 is here, and we're ready to write or cry. I think most of us are crying this year. So fire up your writing engines, rest those fingies, and head on over to the November Announcements for all of the juicy details 😤 Other than a few November Patrols, the rest of the announcements are light and breazy-easy this month as we wind down 2024 for the holiday season. Enjoy a tasty meal on us!
The Apostles is a warrior cats roleplay based in northern Wisconsin. On Lake Superior, the wild cats have made the Apostle Islands their home. It is on these islands - Rocky Island and South Twin Island - that the clan and tribe cats have lived in a peace and harmony that ebbs and flows with the tide.
But as the tides turn, so does the truce that binds them to one another; and as the water raises, a darkness follows, an evil that will end in bloodshed and violence.
IC DUE DATE: AUGUST 29th, 2024 APPLICATION DEADLINE: AUGUST 15th, 2024
LITTER CONTEXT
Song met Dewpaw as an apprentice when she joined Fog and Sunrise on a trip to the mainland. They enjoyed each other's company, Dewpaw finally feeling confident when around the caring and sweet she-cat. Song was immediately endeared to the tom, and enjoyed telling him about her culture. Dewpaw was entranced by it. Having been born an outsider, he never felt as though he fit well within RedwoodClan's cultural and spiritual practice, and hearing about the tribe's practices made him feel as though he could belong in their world. They spend a lot of time in each other's company, but before long, it is time for Song to go back home.
Upon meeting their kits, Foxtail was called to receive visions for their future. Two birds with black and white feathers fly through a blizzard, their feathers encrusted with snow and ice as they bravely fly forth despite the poor weather. Both parents were reminded of their pasts after hearing the vision, Mist with his mentor, and Song with her mother. With love for their kin now far away, they named their kits Raven who flies through blizzards and Blackbird with snow dappled wings in their honor.
FUTURE PLOT PLANS
With the new direction of the tribe under Foxtail's guidance, Mist and Song want to raise their children in a way that promotes both the ideals of the tribe as well as the personal happiness and satisfaction of their children. They will encourage their children to follow their dreams. They will accept and love their children no matter where life takes them and will be happy for their children to be prey hunters and stoneguards in equal measure. With Raven's significant health issues, especially in childhood, the young family will be under some pressure. Raven will be especially sheltered growing up, while Blackbird might grow to feel as though he is not given as much attention as his sister. The extent of this difference between the two kits is up to the adopters as well as fallen and I once the players are selected, nothing is set in stone yet regarding the dynamics.
We would like to see these kits live a nice long time and are excited for the long-term plotting potential for this litter with their parents and within the tribe at large! If a player loses interest, we definitely would rather readopt out the kitten rather than have them die early in their life, and we are not interested in plots that would result in their early deaths.
MIST'S PARENTING STYLE
As a father, Mist will struggle with feeling adequate as a father. He never had a dad who raised him as a kit, instead feeling love mostly from his sister and neither of his adopted parents who fed him and taught him but did not spare him much affection. Instead of trying to follow his father's example, he will do his best to mirror how Ravenfeather, his mentor, "fathered" him during his apprenticeship. Despite being a stone guard, Mist will show no preference for his children's future roles within the tribe, instead eager to show them all he knows - both using his stone guard training and his warrior training to teach them. He will be a soft place for them to fall whenever they are sad, and a friend when they want to play. He is not a particularly talkative companion for them, but he is an excellent listener and will give his children plenty of room to help define what their relationship looks like.
Mist will struggle not to shelter his kits too heavily. Having grown up during a time of constant war (something rare among his tribemates), Mist will do all he can to keep his kits safe from the dangers of the world. His purpose in life will be to ensure they can live happily and without worries of war or famine looming in their young minds. He is very afraid of the clans and their battles and will be strongly opposed to his kits showing too much curiosity when it comes to RedwoodClan or any other clan. Without realizing it, Mist will give his daughter more attention than his son. Raven's health issues will keep him heavily invested in all that she does, good or bad. He will be a constant supporter of her, doing all he can to ensure she succeeds while assuming Blackbird will be able to grow and evolve with less direct assistance. While he does not know he favors her, those around him might make that assumption based on the uneven amount of time he spends with each of them.
SONG'S PARENTING STYLE
Song will be a very nervous, attentive first time mother. Being raised by her own, she has the idea of a good mother and strives to mimic it. At least at first. However, she'll learn she can't be her mother and falls into her own way of raising her kits. She will teach them values of life, living in harmony with nature, and the importance of family. They will share a meal every day with one of their friends or family members. This includes, but not limited to, grandpa Talon and his family, Uncle Falcon, and others she knows. She will encourage them to have fun as well.
The young she-cat will not be perfect. She'll struggle to say no to her kits especially when they are young. Ultimately, she'll trust Mist's judgement more than her own and stand by his decisions for things. As the kits get older, she'll be reminded of something when Mist gives most his attention to Raven. It is a reflection of Primrose and herself so long ago. Giving her mate the benefit of the doubt, she'll try to counter the imbalance. Her attention will shift to include her son more and have him learn to share his emotions rather than hide them. Each kit will have a special thing she will do with them. For Raven, it will swimming to ease her skin irritation. For Blackbird, it will be his choice. Their happiness and safety will take the highest priority in her mind.
THREAD IDEAS
The kits decide that they've heard enough stories from their parents and decide to tell their parents a story of their own creation.
Mist mentions an event that happened during his childhood, and his kits begin asking questions about his previous life. He becomes uncomfortable and tries to shift the conversation when all he can recall is how lost he felt during the war.
Mist and Song take Raven to see Foxtail and Fog in an attempt to aid in one of her maladies, leaving Blackbird temporarily in Grandpa Talon's care.
Song teaches the kits how to swim in the shallow pond near their den.
The kits decide to practice their climbing skills to be just like Dad. They climb too high and Mist has to climb up to rescue them from the tree.
Raven asks Uncle Falcon about his experience with missing a leg, and they bond over their unique life experiences.
Song takes the kits to speak to Foxtail and Fog so they can learn more about the Tribe of Endless Life.
Uncle Falcon or Grampa Talon babysit the kits and get into mischief while Song and Mist are out on a date.
Song brings several types of prey for the family to dine on, so the kits can try lots of different types of food and find their favorites.
RULES
Kits are not first come first serve. Members must fill out the application to claim a kit.
Deadline for applications 11:59 pm EST on August 15th (may extend if necessary).
If you go inactive (no IC posts for a month) or leave the site, your kit will be placed back up for adoption.
Please don't kill the kit without discussing it with us first! We want to see the kits active and living their lives. If it's a lack of interest rather than a narrative choice, we would love to re-adopt the kit.
APPLICATION [b]Member name[/b]: your name [b]Personality Ideas[/b]: explain your plans for their personality and their relationships with their parents/sibling Plot Plans[/b]: summarize your future plans [b]Thread ideas[/b]: list 3 thread ideas for the kit
Blackbird with Frost Dappled Feathers Gender: tom Markings: black-silver broken mackerel tabby Eye Color: green eyes Fur Length: long Build: large, muscular Extra Features: 30% white spotting Health: alive Genotype: XoY BB Dd aa MCmc tata Spsp WsW CC ll ii Album: [ x ] Taken by:
Raven who Flies Through Blizzards Gender: she-cat Markings: white Eye Color: blue-pink eyes Fur Length: long Build: runty Extra Features: albino Health: alive, but has light sensitivity, poor vision/hearing, skin issues, etc. Genotype: XoXo BB Dd Aa mcmc tata spsp WsW cc ll ii Album: [ x1 ] [ x2 ] Taken by:
Member Name: Ego/Egotistic Kit Name: Raven Who Flies Through Blizzards Personality Ideas: Raven, as I envision her, is anomalous to what would be expected from a kit of her moons. She is greatly taxed by her affliction—not only by the sensitivities it brings but also by her own heightened vulnerability to illness. Having spent her earliest moons primarily in discomfort and a sickbed, the effects of such an existence have made her weary before her time.
Rather than being boisterous and sociable, Raven presents a disinterest in conversation and does not expend energy on topics that do not interest her. She is, however, deeply philosophical, notably thoughtful, and enjoys challenges of the mind over those of the body. She enjoys questions—particularly those about the outside—and is deeply interested in preserving the oral histories—forgotten and unforgotten—within the Tribe. She is deeply spiritual, finds comfort in her faith, and is fascinated by topics relating to the balance of the self and the world around them.
Unfortunately, Raven's interest in the island's history and preservation does not extend beyond her family. While she is more sociable around her kin, to those outside of them, she is noted to have a more stiff and rehearsed manner of speaking: overly formal, practiced, and intending to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible. In this way, Raven prefers her own company; she favors sitting alone and observing others to interacting with them and grows easily overwhelmed and irritable by conversation and strange circumstances. She enjoys the predictability of her own sheltered life and struggles with spontaneity.
It is due to this that routine is so crucial to Raven. The sun's progression dictates her days, and her activities are primarily steered by it, making her unknowingly reliant on scheduled, structured days. Any interruptions to these plans seem to be an affront to her and treated with great amounts of upset until they are righted again—or a complete withdrawal entirely, the day and its future happenings abandoned until the next.
This rigidity will make it so that others view Raven as rather dull. A fact that she does not care particularly much about. She is gloomy, sometimes scathing and cynical, and behaves in a way that, to others, may be viewed as selfish and self-serving. Having been doted on so profusely by her parents, Raven is equally entitled and does not understand those who do not answer their every whim. They have a habit of being whiny and ornery when asked to do things they do not wish to do and are reluctant to partake in matters that do not immediately grip their interest. Plot Plans Regarding….
…life within the Tribe: As a kit, Raven will see no reason to serve the Tribe. For as long as she can remember, the world has revolved around her. What purpose would there be in expanding it to involve anyone else? She enjoys the affections of her family, however cloying, and as a result, does not feel any urge for independence outside of them. So long as her meals are brought to her and her every whim satisfied, she will remain largely unambitious and concerned only with herself. With time, I would like Raven to acknowledge the importance of upholding the interest of the whole rather than the self. I'd like for Raven's worldview, whether in adolescence or kithood, to be expanded by her interactions and her realizing the importance of the histories and the balances to uphold order on the island and how her interest in such topics can serve to better the lives of others rather than scratch a specific mental itch. With time, I think she will come to take pride in how her studies can benefit the Tribe and that it will drive her to develop new methods of hunting and night navigation. This will not only allow her to better serve the Tribe without threatening her health but also create new avenues for monitoring the night residents and their relationship with the Tribelands.
...family: Struggling against a love as smothering as it is nurturing, Raven's relationship with her family is deeply conflicted. For the very reasons she loves them, she also, internally, resents them and is envious of them and their good health. She will struggle to see how they may have any woes greater than her own and, due to her own disability, struggle to view the hardship faced by her more able-bodied kin. She will be largely unaware of the difference in attention and considerations between herself and her brother, believing him to have more privileges than herself, whose life is more heavily monitored and restricted. She will not view his freedom as a result of her own parents doting so strongly on her, but as them believing him to be something she is not: able to fend for himself. She may envy her brother as much as he does her or maybe learn that these feelings are wholly one-sided. She will care for her parents but take them for granted in many ways. She does not acknowledge or seem capable of acknowledging what life will be like without them, and as a child especially, she believes they will always be around to carry out her bidding. She regularly takes advantage of their desire to accommodate her and grows entitled and spoiled as a result. Over time, as Raven becomes a To-Be, I would like for Raven to develop to a point where she does not only view her family as pawns but as equals and grows more empathetic to their struggles and attempts to alleviate them however she can.
…disability: Raven's time cooped up in a sickbed has led her to become largely introspective—it has also led her to feel alienated from her peers due to an inability to interact with them to the same degree as her brother. Raven has compensated for this by feigning disinterest in social relationships and focusing most of her energy on her studies. Due to Raven's sensitivities to the sun and her near blindness, she spends very little time exposed in the daytime and prefers the underground's shade and comfort. Raven's vision is impaired, and she can only visualize the world through heavily blurred colors. She does not care much for bright colors, which overwhelms her, and prefers the dark monotony of nighttime wanderings. Raven is deaf in one ear and struggles to regulate noise. She does not enjoy crowds or company exceeding two and seems easily overwhelmed by loud noises or individuals. Raven's disability will force her to make many accommodations to live in relative comfort, but for the same reasons she is inhibited, she may find strength in her oddities. Her affinity for the night has opened a largely untapped area of research for her. While the Clan is asleep, she remains awake, keeping tabs on the island's nocturnal residents, their habits, and different methods of hunting and navigation in low-visibility settings.
…future: As an adult, I imagine Raven as a largely elusive member of the Tribe that may not be known to all but by a select few. I envision her going from someone who was entitled and selfish to someone who has shouldered the responsibility of their nighttime duties to ensure the wellbeing of the Tribe. I do not imagine Raven will ever grow less gloomy or irritable with others. Her standoffish personality will almost surely remain, except with a special few. However, she will learn to care for others outside of herself, even if she maintains a particular envy of their lives, which her condition has denied her. I like the idea of Raven acting as the Tribe's eyes and ears during the night and potentially opening a new avenue for patrolling and island maintenance due to her more nocturnal activity. Thread Ideas: i. after being goaded to play outside of the shade, raven obliges and finds the next day that her skin is badly damaged from the sun. she’s forced to meet with the teller where she learns of her sensitivities. ii. a long day alone in the family den have left raven in a sour mood. she demands one of her parents remains awake despite their own fatigue to walk the plains at night with her. iii. raven is encouraged to begin thinking about her future. she can’t spend all day theory crafting. raven admits she never thought about it, and doesn’t care about it, either. much to her parents’ chagrin.
Member name: Emmy Personality Ideas: As a kit, I imagine Blackbird to be eager and curious about the world around him. He will want to hear stories and explore with Raven, and be sorely disappointed when he realizes their lives will never go at the same pace. While not oblivious to his sister's struggles, it will be hard for a young kit to fully understand the situation. I imagine a big part of his growth and upbringing will have to do with expectation versus reality, not just for himself but for others. While empathetic from the start, due to his parents' guidance and examples, Blackbird will still become frustrated and lonely due to Raven's setbacks in life. The feeling of being a child, unable to understand why your parents aren't as agile or tireless as you, will extend to his sister of the same age, and I imagine Blackbird will experience a lot of guilt for feeling this way at all.
Despite his parents doing their best to treat them fairly and equally, Blackbird's life, at least in the beginning, will revolve around Raven. He won't quite have the built-in friend and playmate he expected. Blackbird will be desperate to please and impress his parents without taking necessary care away from his sister; this may result in him looking for parental figures in other cats, such as his future mentor. He may get into more mischief than the average young tom in desperate bids for attention. The envy and resentment that Raven feels towards him will only further push him away, as I picture him doing his best to slow down to her pace and be supportive as much as he can until he gets sick of her outlook. Blackbird will juggle with showing empathy versus pity, especially as a kit who won't understand the difference, and how hurtful pity can be.
As he ages, Blackbird may struggle to find empathy for others, due to feeling like it was thrown in his face earlier in life. If Raven never lets go of her bitterness and entitlement towards her family, Blackbird's relationship with her will struggle. I'd love for them to grow together and become true friends, even if it takes some aging. On Blackbird's part, this will mean learning forgiveness and patience. He will also have to overcome the guilt of being healthy while his sister ails, and find a balance where he can support her without insulting her abilities. Raven will always be important to him, but he must overcome the feeling that he should live his own life less to please her.
Growing into someone with his own identity is what I'd like to see for Blackbird; I don't want him to just be a side character in his sister's story, no matter how much he feels that's the hand he's been dealt. Especially as he ages, he will realize what a difficult position his parents were put in. Any childhood anger towards them for differential attention and treatment will someday dissolve as he understands the vast variety of struggles a cat can face in life. I think he'll realize how truly loved he is and has been the whole time by his parents, but he will also value the connections he made with other trusted adult cats while he was young.
Plot Plans: Although sort of interspersed in my ideas for his personality and development, I want Blackbird's plot to be one of learning and healing. Especially when he may be in denial that he has any healing to do; he will feel ridiculous and ashamed to ever complain, due to Raven's constant comparisons of their situations.
Blackbird will throw himself wholeheartedly into training as a to-be, including bonding with his mentor and gaining a confidante and friend. If he cannot fix Raven's condition, cannot keep the sun behind the clouds for her, or lend her an eye to see the world as sharply as he can, he will do everything in his power to make the Tribe strong and safe for her. Even as he may feel insulted by her attitude towards him, he can't turn on his back on her, and will always crave her approval even if he won't admit it to himself.
Although not a perfect cat by any means, I have hopes that Blackbird will be well-liked and respected by his tribe. Too rambunctious and heavy-pawed at times, and eventually sick of any and all complaining, Blackbird could very well go down the path of being a cat who brushes every issue under the rug and forces positivity where gentleness would work better. Ideally, he finds a mate or even a best friend his age who helps him relearn the empathy and softness he grew up with. I think he will need help learning that a bad experience shouldn't close your heart off from caring.
Thread ideas:
Blackbird plays hide and seek with Raven, and here discovers her difficulties hearing and seeing.
Blackbird makes up a wild story about a dangerous, middle-of-the-night adventure he had in a bid for his parents' worry and attention.
Blackbird tries to wander away on a day that Raven needs extra attention; he is both upset and wanting to test how long he can disappear before they notice his absence. If he's intercepted, he will spill his feelings instead.
