*record scratch* *freeze frame* Yep, you're probably wondering how we got here. The year was 2019, and the pandemic was nothing but a distant sparkle in our eye…JK we, won't bore you with the details! We all know the classic tale. Wish was unemployed and verging on an existential crisis, which meant she dm'd Rain, which led to the 'ole crew getting back together, and somehow, someway, The Apostles was born!

We've gone through a lot of changes together over the last five years. Our community's giggled together, cried together, tussled together, grown and experienced loss together, but after five years, we're still here, pretending to be cats on the world wide web, and we wouldn't have it any other way ♥️🎉

To celebrate this momentous feat (five years for an RP is a lot!), we've got a lot of goodies in store for you! Check them out below. We can't wait to get the party started 🥳

Very quickly, we also want to give a big shout-out to our pawful of wonderful new members including juniper , emmy , and maple . We're so excited to have more meow-ers in our community! Thank you for jumping right into TA by cookin' up some tasty characters and joining our game nights. Cheers! <3

UPDATES ---

• TA Celebration Booths
• Clan Taboos Voting
• Scavenger Hunt
  
• TC Tournament update
  
• Sound of Summer Thread Contest Voting
• Green-leaf Gathering Raffle
• Leaf-fall Gathering
• Tigerpool Code Cadets RWC event
  
• 5 year meet-up Interest Survey
• Discord Warm-and-Fuzzies
• OTS
• Head-Stone Guard announcement
• Updated Island Timeline
• New skin
• Plot updates

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ---

A happy happy birthday to lightning ! May your special day be full of cool looking birds or one big bird named Norman and bugs, ample opportunities to craft scrum-diddly-umptious art, several kitty-cat coats to genetically identify, and the DnD session of your dreams.

Another birthday wish to spotty this month! We hope your magical day is blessed with kitten and puppy snuggles all hail Tundra our queen, the cutest clothing and blankets patterns, all of the shop purchases, and a well deserved moment of complete and utter relaxation (and pampering)!

A PRE-CELEBRATION NOTE---

Before we kick-off the celebration, we wanted to open this year's anniversary with a little update regarding our annual shin-dig and all of it's shenanigans. 2024 will be the last and final September celebration month! Due to staff's busy, busy schedule this time of year, we've decided to move the celebration to August going forward So come August 2025, we'll be celebrating TA and all of you lovely people a month early! We figured this wouldn't be a problem, but we wanted to give you all a heads up as soon as possible. So why not a year early!

With the season turn-over (there's so much leaf-fall work) and Maxx preparing for the start of the school year (plus members too!), we think an August, end of summer blow-out extravaganza will be easier for everyone involved ❤️ ❤️ So with that, let's cut the proverbial ribbon and start the celebrations. Whoohoooo!

TA CELEBRATION CARNIVAL BOOTHS

PSP PSP PSP PSP. Translation: come one, come all! Purr-tastic friends and whiskered wanderers! The moment of true arcane magic is here. We're pleased to announce the grand opening of The Apostles Year 5 Carnival Celebration 🎉🎡🎪🎠

Please take some time to peruse the Carnival Booth thread, where you can review the rules and snag your very own “passport” to this toe-licking extravaganza, then get ready for some member-curated creativity!

After reading the rules, members can begin participating in booths and collecting their stamps! You only need to participate in 3 booths and earn 3 stamps to achieve the coveted limited edition "carnival-goer" pixel award. While members hosting a booth will receive the limited edition "booth host" pixel award, a character slot, a wheel spin, and a character sketch from maxx !

FACTION TABOOS ---

Clan taboos are in, and we appreciate this great, collaborative effort! From the big NO’s to the little ews, we're curating our list of Do-Not's! Members can vote for their top five favorites for each faction. Voting will last from September 1 to September 8. So head on over to the polls to cast your vote for your fav taboos!

• RedwoodClan Taboos
  
• ThistleClan Taboos
  
• LichenClan Taboos
  
• Tribe Taboos
  

Members who participated and submitted a taboo will receive the Taboo participant pixel award and a wheel spin, while the winner will receive the limited edition Taboo winner award and be featured as ~official lore~ in our Clan and Tribe information thread!

SCAVENGER HUNT 2024 ---

Zip, zap zorp. The worms are at it again, and we’re so excited to be infected by another TA-themed Scavenger hunt. Within the Apostle's forum, the parasitic wiggles have scattered a bunch of small celebratory cupcakes for you to find! Use the clues to hunt down iconic, canon events from September 2023 to August 2024 either with a partner or by yourself 🔎

Check out the Scavenger Hunt thread to read the rules and start the hunt.

TIGERPOOL'S CODE CADETS ---

Now that RedwoodClan's apprentices are trained in the art of tattling on their peers, we're kicking off a Tigerpool's Code Cadets event! Similar to past threading events, such as Firfoot's training montage or the leaf-bare 2023 blizzard, members are encouraged to create "Code Cadet" themed threads!

For more details and prompts, see the official Tigerpool's Code Cadest thread (rebranded for a more IC accessible name lol)!

THISTLECLAN TOURNAMENT ---

We're entering the third month of our ThistleClan Tournament! There is no official end-date declared, but we will continue moving through the brackets designated on the official tournament page until we reach the final champ! Our second and thirds rounds are finished, and bleeding hehe literally into our semi-final round. You can see all of the winners from the first round in the August Announcements.

Winners from the second round:

Thunderfoot v Hollyblossom: Thunderfoot
Blackfrost v Smokestorm: Smokestorm
Foxclaw v Brambleheart: Foxclaw
Juniperfang v Blazingstorm: Blazingstorm
Softstep vs. Snailtail: Softstep
Lionthroat vs. Campionclaw: Lionthroat
Cinderfeather vs. Snakejaw: Cinderfeather
Mothfern vs. Marsheyes: Mothfern

Winners from the third round:

Mothfern vs. Blazingstorm: Blazingstorm
Thunderfoot vs. Foxclaw: Foxclaw
Smokestorm vs. Softstep: Smokestorm
Cinderfeather vs. Lionthroat: Cinderfeather

Remember to review the ThistleClan tournament thread for any clarifications on the rules. We're so excited to see the final battles commence and to declare a champion!

SOUNDS OF SUMMER THREAD CONTEST

Summer is coming to a close, and with it, The Sound of Summer contest. We hope members had the opportunity to discover some new favorite tunes and enjoyed collaborating with their unique, lyrical prompts. We also used this contest to explore a more extended time frame for our contests, over the span of three months and really enjoyed the pace!

Hopefully this new format provided the flexibility for relaxation over our sunny season <3 Thank you to everyone who participated! Official voting is now open for The Sound of Summer and will last from September 1 to September 8. The winners will be declared in the Discord on September 9!

2024 GATHERING RAFFLE WINNER --

Thank you for another year of themed Gatherings! We hope members have been enjoying our open-invitation opportunities and plethora of prompts. The Gathering raffle is drawn, and we’d like to give a big congratulations to wish !! wish will enjoy the following goodies.

• Art from Lightningtrail
• Art from Fallenreaper 
• Art from Wish (LOL)
• A join-a-patrol prize (what's this?? check out the TA prize guide!)
• A wheel spin

If you would like to volunteer for next year's prize pool, which will be drawn on September 1, 2025, please reach out to maxx

LEAF-FALL GATHERING ---

We're on the first moon of our Leaf-Fall Gathering! You will have until November 30 to create a thread participating in the special prompt: React to and reflect on the eerie, ooky-spooky environment! A low mist clings to the ground and an unsettling presence can be felt. Who or what will your character run into?

The Gathering raffle will be drawn on September 1, 2025 (wow we’re already thinking about next year's September *sweats*!) during our 6-year anniversary. One lucky winner will win an assortment of goodies! If you want to volunteer art for the raffle, please dm maxx on the discord!

YEAR 5 MEET-UP INTEREST SURVEY

Are you ready to re-enact a moon pool dunk or fling your friends or greatest enemy from a tree? It’s year 5 bby B) As many of ya’ll on the discord know, we’ve talked about a potential meet-up in The Apostles Islands, WI. The time has come, and we’re taking a survey to explore how realistic this aspiration is! If you’d like to join a real-time TA meetup for year 5, please fill out the interest survey. More information about a potential meet-up will be shared once we peep the results

DISCORD WARM-AND-FUZZIES ---

Get ready for some PDA because we’re taking our love ~public~ this year! For our warm-and-fuzzy inspired event, we’re taking over #qotd (Question of the Day channel) and posing a brand new TA-themed QOTD every day for members to answer!

Questions will range from gassing up members by calling out our favorite characters, threads, relationships, etc. to silly questions like class superlatives! Members who participate every day will receive the limited edition warm-and-fuzzies pixel and a free forbidden romance prize!

TA'S HEHE HAHA MEMES ALBUMS 2.0

She's back at it again at the Krispy Kreme, folks! Raven~ 's curated another hehe, haha album of iconic discord funnies over the last year. We're on our hands and knees begging you to go look at them and laugh. Otherwise, Raven will crawl into your walls and never get out. Go view the funny thread of memes and possible cancellations and enjoy!!!

MEMBER OF THE SEASON

Leaf-fall's 2024 member of the season is emmy , who role-plays the following characters: Beavertail, Beetleshine, and Blackbird.

Why did you join TA and why did you stay?

I was fiending for some warrior cats RP, like the good ol' days, and found TA by chance through old ads and affiliate links, clicking around until I found an active site. Wisconsin is my home state, so I had to join this one as soon as I found it! I joined the discord first to feel out the vibes, and the rest is history. Everyone is so welcoming and wonderful, not to mention talented, creative, kind, funny, just an awesome little community.

As a member, what is your favorite part of our community?

I love the range of this community! By that I mean we can all talk on and on about our characters and plots, but there are spaces to talk about anything and everything. Being able to bring our personalities and other interests, including sharing both joys and struggles, makes TA really feel like a safe, uplifting place.

What are your interests and hobbies?

Outside of role playing, I love to read, cross stitch, bake, and collect trinkets. I also love all kinds of gaming, from video games to classic table top role playing games. I'm a cat person all the way, my favorite season is spring, and I love horror books and movies too!

What is one fun fact about yourself (that other members might not know)?

When I was younger, every time my family would travel (including to upper Wisconsin) I'd take a notebook and imagine what a warrior Clan in that area/biome would be like. Finding The Apostles brought those memories back, and I love the creativity brought to this concept!

CHARACTER OF THE SEASON

Leaf-fall's 2024 character of the season is Deadeye, a LichenClan loyalist and member of the highly esteemed flower family, played by blitzen .

What inspired you to make this character?

I adopted Deadeye from Captain last year! The premise for him intrigued me, and I was eager to roleplay a more strictly traditionalist character (and another member of the flower family). I also loved the idea of the dynamics he would have with his family! He isn’t really inspired by any one thing, but over time I’ve drawn inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2/late 1890s outlaws/cowboys for his character.

What has surprised you about playing them?

It’s been a pleasant surprise that Deadeye has lost his initial charm that I wanted him to have— he’s become more stoic and solemn, thoughtful. Him being a part of the LichenClan council was also a pleasant surprise for me, and it’s added so much more interest to his character. It’s lots of fun to write him, and I love the character he has become and the one he will (hopefully) be in the future!

What is your favorite thread with them and why?

Follow the leader (or don't). This thread with Sacredlight gave me the perfect opportunity to play a different aspect of Deadeye’s character: his manipulativeness— and an opportunity to play out his frustration with Yarrowstar. The thread also played into the plot at the time, where less traditional warriors were favored over more strict traditionalists/loyalists. I always love a thread where I can explore a specific aspect of my character and/or one that plays into the current plot!

RELATIONSHIP OF THE SEASON

Leaf-fall's 2024 Relationship of the Season is Hollyblossom x Thunderfoot, a budding ThistleClan romance played by Wolfie and Aria .

How did this relationship form?

Wolfie: It started as a looking for for Hollyblossom. I wanted to find her a friend or love interest to work towards. Cats that she can connect to in the clan after everything that’s happened. Aria offered Thunderfoot. Their first thread happened after the flood hit, Holly returning to camp while at the Bear stones and her just trying to adjust to the new situation. Thunder was there to help her along, and it slowly progressed. We wanted a slow burn for them after everything that Thunder went through with his relationships, have a nice slow build up that leads to them being happy and hopefully starting a family together. With the loss of her mother when she was young, her sisters death, her fathers exile, Thunder is the constant in her life she can turn to and won’t be turned away. Yes there is going to be hard times with his past but that’s a bridge they will cross together.

Aria: Thunderfoot’s past romance with Cinderfeather had ended horribly, as did his relationship with his foster children. He was so alone, and I just wanted him to find a friend. Then Wolfie posted a "Looking For" for Hollyblossom. We initially plotted them as simply a friendship, but as time went on, their bond seemed to evolve into something more—a slow-burn romance we both grew to love. Hollyblossom made him feel whole again, filling the void in him and making him protective of her, no matter the cost. He stood by her during the loss of her sister and her father’s exile from the clan, always there whenever she needed him. While he was previously terrified of taking the next step due to the events of the tournament and the battles against him, that was the final straw. Now, he wants her, and he’s not afraid to show it.

What was your favorite moment from this relationship and favorite thread?

Wolfie: Favorite moment? I would have to say a moment that hasn’t happened yet IC. The moment when they will finally settle down in their den. So far my favorite thread is their tournament fight: Hit Me Harder Zaddy, Please. It was really fun seeing them interact like that and still be on good terms.

Aria: Everything about the tournament! I’ve never played a character so desperate or needy before that thread (Hit Me harder Zaddy, Please). It sounds so silly, but it was so much fun!

THREAD OF THE SEASON

Leaf-fall's 2024 thread of the season is in like a lion, out like…some sort of bird.

What characters were in this thread and who played them?

Lightning: Kestrelcall

Rain: Lionthroat

What was your motivation/reason for participating in this thread?

Lightning: Kestrelcall and Lionthroat were paired randomly for the TC tourney.

Rain: To give lionthroat some battle experience, toughen him up a little.

What was your favorite part of the thread?

Lightning: I like having Kestrelcall come up with killer attack moves, and it's fun to watch her more playful combatants try to play along. Her banter with Lionthroat was really fun to play in to!

Rain: It's a hard decision between describing Lionthroat's ball agony and seeing what name Kestrelcall called her next move.

HEAD STONE-GUARD ---

🥁 Drumroll please 🥁 After serving the Tribe for nearly six seasons, Talon is stepping down as Head Stone-Guard. Please give him and Wolfie a much deserved round of applause 👏👏We hope you both enjoy your retirement from post prison. While finding a replacement felt impossible, we're very excited and happy to announce Mist that Traveled Beneath Redwoods as the new Head Stone-Guard of the Tribe 🎉🪩

As a former rogue kit turned warrior of RedwoodClan, his past and experiences bring a unique but much needed perspective to the Tribe, especially as their connection to the mainland grows. His character arc of finding purpose and a home among the Tribe lands, only to be selected as the next head guard, creates a beautiful narrative and demonstrates the accepting nature of the Tribe. Also! He's Talon's son-in-law and that's just cute uwu We're amped to see what Mist does next! Congrats lightning !

UPDATED ISLAND TIMELINE  --

You've asked and we've answered! After slaving away all month, the Island Timeline is finally updated, and as you'll notice, it's been split in 2! We're finally at the point where we have too much content for one mere thread to handle, whew! We decided to split it up by pre-TA-opening-date and IC content, Island Timeline: 1901 - 2018, and post-TA-opening-date, Island Timeline: 2019 - Present.

All notable threads and iconic moments from the last six months are now available in the Island Timeline: 2019 - Present. Woohoo! To try and better update this resource, we've also made an internal tracking document for easy copying/pasting, but thaaaaaat's only for us to see

COMPLEX PLOTTING REQUEST UPDATE

Along with a timeline update, we've also added a new question to our Complex Plotting Request Form to help us better help you! The question is related to what kind of IC-actions (threads, events, etc.) are required to make your plot happen. We've defined the different kind of IC-actions as well to help you plot and set up a reasonable timeline! As always, if you have any questions, please reach out. Happy big-brain plotting!

NEW SKIN ---

Sorry to all of our green-lovers out there, but after spending an entire year between two different shades of Shrek Skin, we're finally moving onto a new hue! Hello to the ooky-spooky skin of our dreams! We've been dying to go mega-dark-mode and creepy ever since our iconic fog, ghost lewk of 2022.

May this new skin conjure up cooler temps, warm brews it's pumpkin spice season baby, and everything we love about spooky time! 👻 👻 👻 We also hope it sets the stage for a mega, spooky-Gathering...

SEASONAL PROMPTS & PATROLS---

As a reminder, please see and use the Leaf-fall Writing Prompts to engage with the plot and create new threads.

We are taking a break on new patrols this month! Please use this time to catch up on any old threads, and we'll be back in business in October! We want to give everyone a chance to slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy our mini-celebrations all over the site

CURRENT ONGOING PATROLS

• A Light in the Deepest Shadow (Unknown)
• death is life is death is life is (LC)
• Water Sanctum (TC & Tunnel cats)
• All I see is RED (Tribe)
• Beware the ides (TC)
• Strength, Sinew, Bones, and Silk (RWC)
• Empowering our tomorrow (RWC)
  
• The drone of fluorescent lights (LC)
• Infestation (RWC)
• Clan hopper (TC)
• Gardens of snapdragons (LC)
• New page (Tribe)
  

PLOT UPDATES---

REDWOODCLAN NEWS:

• Finchstar attends the Gathering with RedwoodClan, where Foxtail shares a vision with the other leaders, and ThistleClan and LichenClan share their concerns about the tunnels and its inhabitants. Finchstar invites Foxtail to chat with his medicine cats.
  
• After gaining Finchstar's support, Tigerpool enlists the apprentices and a group of trusted, full-blooded RedwoodClan warriors to report any code-breakers or suspicious behavior.
• Whitewhisker brings an injured rogue kit to Tigerpool and asks for him to join RedwoodClan. The kit secretly belongs to Poppy.
• Border relations remain amicable with LichenClan and the Tribe. Border relations are actively hostile with ThistleClan.
• After delivering her kits in secret, Asterstorm makes her first appearance at the lagoon during the half-moon. Blossomstep remains suspicious of her disappearance.
  

THISTLECLAN NEWS:

• After his troubling visit to the lagoon, Firstar, now blinded, attends the Gathering with ThistleClan and denounces the tunnels alongside LichenClan. Foxtail delivers a vision to the leaders, requesting to speak to their medicine cats. After hearing the message, Firfoot dismisses her.
  
• Firstar orders his warriors to close up any entrances leading into the tunnels, barring them from entering their depths.
• Unable to stomach an alliance with the rogues, Blazingstorm vows to prove ThistleClan's independence and orders more battle training.
  
• After several rounds of fighting, the semi-finals of the tourament begin with Cinderfeather vs. Smokestorm and Blazingstorm vs. Foxclaw.
  
• Poppy brings her son, Grasshopper, to Firstar and asks the leader to personally train him as a warrior of ThistleClan.
• Border relations remain tense with LichenClan and the Tribe. Borders are openly hostile with RedwoodClan and the tunnelers.
• Meadowshine meets with the other medicine cats at the lagoon during the half-moon.
• Shadepool remains mysteriously missing.

LICHENCLAN NEWS:

• Quickstar attends the Gathering with LichenClan and puts out a warning about the tunnels. Foxtail delivers a vision to the leaders, one Quickstar cannot engage with due to the dangers in the tunnels.
  
• After sharing his concerns about the council with his mother, Deadeye calls a meeting for other loyalists to express their concerns—unbeknownst to Quickstrike and Emberscorch.
• Leopardface returns to LichenClan with an orphaned rogue kit, who is secretly Poppy's son.
  
• Guards continue to monitor the MoonCave and tunnel entrances. Warriors are advised to practice extreme caution after Lilacmist's death as the foreboding presence is growing worse.
• Border relations remain amicable with RedwoodClan and the Tribe. Tensions continue with ThistleClan.
• Foxglovefire begins her training as a medicine cat and attends her first half-moon at the lagoon.

TRIBE NEWS:

• Foxtail receives another mysterious vision, one she believes is about the Clan cats. Concerned for them, she attends the Gathering with the Tribe and requests to speak with their medicine cats. Only RedwoodClan asks to arrange a visit.
  
• After serving the Tribe for six seasons, Talon makes the difficult decision to step down as head stone-guard.
  
• Mist that Traveled Beneath Redwoods is selected as Talon's successor and the next Head Stone-Guard of the Tribe.
• As her vision predicted, Foxtail discovers a lost rogue kit near the Estuary and offers him sanctuary with her Tribe-mates. He is secretly Poppy's son.
  

TUNNEL CAT NEWS:

• Vega and the tunnelers attend the Gathering, where they're startled to hear both ThistleClan and LichenClan renouncing their presence and warning about the dangers of the tunnels. Vega refuts him, but ultimately, the apprentice program is brought to a close.
• Icesong loses the ability to speak after her fight with Firstar at the lagoon.
• ThistleClan closes up all of the tunnel entrances and threatens any tunnelers trying to stop them.
  
• The unsettling presence continues in the tunnels and grows more sinister each moon.
  

CELANDINE NEWS:

• Celandine continues to hunt and train on ThistleClan's periphery territory, which includes straying onto other Clan and Tribe territory.
• Poppy and Honeybun successfully send their four sons into Clan and Tribe territory as spies.
• The rogues prepare for the colder moons coming ahead and take advantage of the land available to them, in and out of Clan and Tribe borders.
  

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:

Poppy x Honeybun kits are six moons old.
Sorrel x Night kits kits are five moons old.
Aster and Reed kits are three moons.
Curly and Oak kits are three moons.
Spark x Turtle kits are three moons.
Mist x Song kits become playable at one moon on September 12.

FUTURE UPDATES ---

Enjoy the festivities everyone! We've had this carnival booth idea pinging around our nogs since last September, so it's been hella fun to see it come to fruition and see everyone so excited about it and creating booths, ahhhh! We can't wait to see everyone's little mini-contests and creativity pop off!

We hope you enjoy our other festivities as well. This community is so special, and we can only hope to celebrate year 10 some day! Wow we'll be super geriatric by then :3c

Best,
The Apostles Staff