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~How To Become A Group Admin~
11 min read
With this account closing down once and for all, I figured it would only be polite for me to leave a few parting words of advice and guidance. (:
Find a group, of course! For instance, you like ferrets? You like drawing ferrets? Were your first ever OCs on the internet ferrets? Then by golly, you go find a roleplay group about ferrets! It is your destiny, my child. And I can promise you, great things are in store for one as special as yourself.
Now that you've gotten yourself situated into a nice ferrety roleplay community, it's time to get to know the crew running the show... that's right, I'm talking about the admins! Why don't you introduce yourself to them, drop in a hi on the front page?
No? Aw, pumpkin, don't you worry about it. It's scary enough being in a new group by yourself. But talking to admins? Oh jeez, that's a whole 'nother level. Like I said, it's cool. Socializing will come in time!
You know those common feelings that everyone goes through when they first join a group? Insecurity over one's newness, disappointment over the lack of ferrety gift-art that should have immediately been swarming in after you submitted that beautiful ref sheet, feeling intimidated by the admins since they're, you know... admins? Well, while some people may tell you that those feelings are perfectly normal and are part of the growing process as a lifetime roleplayer, I'm here to tell you that those people are silly nillies who are DEAD WRONG. Those aren't common feelings, my dear. Those feelings you have? They're one of a kind. They're more special than a Christmas snowflake in the middle of Texas. You embrace those feelings, and you grow them until they fester within your heart.
Have those feelings festered into a cold burning hatred yet? No? Don't worry, we'll get back to that later. In the meantime, let's talk about friendship!
Oh no, I'm not talking about making friends with the admins, don't you worry. Those assholes had their chance. Everyone knows that a good staff team has an at least decent grasp on telepathic functions. Surely they know what you've been going through, and if they haven't spoken even a single kind word to you at all since you first joined
FerretsUnited, then who needs them?!
What I'm talking about are members. You know, the people who have been equally as oppressed and neglected as you have been. I think it's time you start drawing mass gift art and making special bonds not just with the ferrets you have in mind, but their players. One needs alliances in these dark and troubling times...
Ahh, I see the first few little buds of hatred beginning to bloom within your soul. Good, good. You leave that garden alone, for now. It can take care of itself by this point. You have more important things to do.
... Such as that one idea you had in mind as a new location on the group's map! You see, you've been thinking to yourself for a while: these ferrets? They could use a pool. And not just any pool, but a magical one! Right in the ferrety clans' meeting grounds. It'd be a nice way to help everyone relax during those monthly get-togethers, and provides an interesting setting for that one forbidden romance couple you and a friend have been developing on the side (your ferret with their skunk. It's been getting pretty steamy.) And once a year, on every harvest moon, a unicorn appears to change the water of the pool to a different color. This is such a cool idea, man! There's no way the admins can say no to that!
OH MY GODS YOU ARE SO P.I.S.S.E.D. RIGHT NOW.
You know what those dirty stinkin' staff members did? They told you no. No. NO to your flawless, perfect idea! You liked this idea! Your friends liked this idea. But the admins? Oooooohhhh, no, they couldn't see your genius for what it was. Those disgusting tyrants had the audacity to tell you that the world ofFerretsUnited doesn't allow for magical pools, or unicorns! Even worse, they told you that your ideas could potentially interfere with other members' plans. Other members? Other members?! What about you? What about that forbidden romance plot you had going with your ferret and his three skunky concubines? How will you four be able to salvage your plot now that your idea was so coldly denied?! If members really were going to have a problem with a magical pool, couldn't they just take it up with you instead? You totally could have yelled them into submission without the admins' help at all!
You know what you must do now, Speaker of Ferrets. Thatarmy group of friends you've been building up on the sidelines may have some use, now. After all, if the admins won't listen to your lone lovely song, then perhaps they will listen to a choir. Make sure to rewatch Mean Girls before you get started on this plan, though. The antagonists may have reminded you of everything you hated about High School, but you know something? Maybe High School had the right of things. It's time to embrace the plastic in YOU, and train a possy that no one would dare to reckon with!
P.S. Make sure to keep popping out gift art to get on everyone's good side, everyone loves gift art
Okay, so you took some time to calm down (against your better judgement, but still) and think things over for a bit. You locked yourself in your room, meditated on lunchables and airheads, and prayed to the Roleplay Gods for guidance on what step to take next. For good measure, you also threatened to stop giving sacrificial offerings to them if they didn't pay attention to you.
And it was then, in that time of darkness and solitude, that an epiphany finally hit you.
FerretsUnited has been your home for about... eh, two years now? FU, on the other hand, has been around for at least five. It was founded by foreplayers long before your time as an rp addict, forged by ancient forces before eventually being passed down to the group of tyrannical admins you now see before you. Although you must admit, they've done their part, too. They may not be the ones who first created this Ferrety paradise, but they are the ones who slaved away on its revamping age to make it the group it is, today. The group you joined years and years later.
... Which is exactly why you were destined to make this group your own.
That's right, my special snowflake. You may have stumbled intoFerretsUnited long after its conception, birth, and public school years; it may be that you only got to meet it once it had already graduated into a beautiful figurative college student... but by golly, it is time for you to raise your sword of justice and claim this symbolic college student as a betrothed for yourself and your closest friends! (The admins may have chosen friends on their staff team, but this is different! Cause your friends are like... cooler friends! Way cooler!)
(Well, the admins say that they only became friends after getting to know one another on the job, but you know better than that. You can see through their LIES.)
Time to start buckling down and weaving the most passive aggressive messages you can possibly make. Remember; the more passive aggressive, the easier you can get away with harrassing those good-for-nuthin' tyrants straight outta the office.
After all, what this Ferrety land really needs is an admin like YOU.
Just a friendly reminder to make sure and do your research before you lead FU onto that road of glorious mutiny. Did you ever watch Star Wars before? No? Well, I think it's time you hopped onto that couch of yours and start taking notes on the Dark Side, you filthy Trekkie!
More specifically, you should pay attention to the prequels. Those old classics are tired retellings of the evergoing war of good vs. evil. You are above such archaic things. You? Your destiny is to become the Anakin Skywalker of Ferret-loving roleplayers everywhere.
Go on, young padawan. Be the self entitled hero that everyone (on your friend's list) wanted all along.
Note: Don't forget to complain about the sand. It's coarse and gets everywhere.
Oh, and that forbidden relationship? Don't worry, you're gonna score skunk concubines everywhere, baby.
Always remember to look to the Holy Scriptures when you are feeling lost or undecided, or in need of guidance (no human on this earth is worthy of your ear anyways.)
Internet Proverbs 23:19
"You are NEVER too old to fight with people on the internet over a fictional group of fictional ferrets that other people made." (New Living Translation)
Also, those people who are still expressing doubt over that idea you had with the unicorn and the color-changing pool? You make sure and shut them down. UNI IS A VERY SPECIAL PART OF YOUR LIFE OKAY?! SHE GOT YOU THROUGH A LOT OF BAD TIMES.
You wake up one day from your power-thirsty stupor to realize half the people you were getting into verbal spats with every day have finally left the group. Not only that, but it has left behind a chorus of horrified members who have the audacity to name you the one at fault for all these shed tears and empty spaces.
Ugh, how dare they! Clearly they're just biased, sniveling fan-kids. Not at all like your far classier circle of friends, who have always been able to see the light and back up the right people. Don't lose faith, young padawan! The people (that matter) still support you! Hold steadfast to your beliefs, and know that the throne you crave is just waiting for you to arrive.
Speaking of which, some of those friends have somehow found themselves in the totally deserved spots of power that the former team left behind. Currently they are battling their fellow staff members, yelling at anyone who disagrees with your superior mindset as they pave the way for your glorious reign.
Gooooood, goooooood. It's only a matter of time, now...
You... you did it.
You finally did it. After months of figurative toil and foaming spitfire, you have climbed your way to the top, donned your new Vader mask, and conquered the lands you were so divinely led to.FerretsUnited is officially your domain. You even got rid of that outdated co-leadership system that had been around for WAY too long, returning the rank of Head Admin to FU, just like you'd wanted to alllll this time. It may have nearly caused the group's death a few years back, but you? You're better than that. Under your totaltarian domain, nothing can go wrong! You know this, your friends know this, that new band of preteen cultists you managed to get to swear fealty to you upon your promotion know this.
And you? As you stand on the cliffside overseeing Unicorn Pool, cape blowing in the wind as your magical staff continues to shoot lasers at the landscape beyond, setting all that is old to flames and forging a perfect world for yourself and your bestest pals, as ferrets shriek in agony in the distance and all the skunk ladies fall at your character's feet begging for his love and mercy, you think to yourself... yes.
Yes. I have achieved all that is important in the world.
The Skykian Archives Presents...
How To Become A Group Admin
A guide five years in the making~Step 1~
Find a group, of course! For instance, you like ferrets? You like drawing ferrets? Were your first ever OCs on the internet ferrets? Then by golly, you go find a roleplay group about ferrets! It is your destiny, my child. And I can promise you, great things are in store for one as special as yourself.
~Step 2~
Now that you've gotten yourself situated into a nice ferrety roleplay community, it's time to get to know the crew running the show... that's right, I'm talking about the admins! Why don't you introduce yourself to them, drop in a hi on the front page?
No? Aw, pumpkin, don't you worry about it. It's scary enough being in a new group by yourself. But talking to admins? Oh jeez, that's a whole 'nother level. Like I said, it's cool. Socializing will come in time!
~Step 3~
You know those common feelings that everyone goes through when they first join a group? Insecurity over one's newness, disappointment over the lack of ferrety gift-art that should have immediately been swarming in after you submitted that beautiful ref sheet, feeling intimidated by the admins since they're, you know... admins? Well, while some people may tell you that those feelings are perfectly normal and are part of the growing process as a lifetime roleplayer, I'm here to tell you that those people are silly nillies who are DEAD WRONG. Those aren't common feelings, my dear. Those feelings you have? They're one of a kind. They're more special than a Christmas snowflake in the middle of Texas. You embrace those feelings, and you grow them until they fester within your heart.
~Step 4~
Have those feelings festered into a cold burning hatred yet? No? Don't worry, we'll get back to that later. In the meantime, let's talk about friendship!
Oh no, I'm not talking about making friends with the admins, don't you worry. Those assholes had their chance. Everyone knows that a good staff team has an at least decent grasp on telepathic functions. Surely they know what you've been going through, and if they haven't spoken even a single kind word to you at all since you first joined
FerretsUnited, then who needs them?!What I'm talking about are members. You know, the people who have been equally as oppressed and neglected as you have been. I think it's time you start drawing mass gift art and making special bonds not just with the ferrets you have in mind, but their players. One needs alliances in these dark and troubling times...
~Step 5~
Ahh, I see the first few little buds of hatred beginning to bloom within your soul. Good, good. You leave that garden alone, for now. It can take care of itself by this point. You have more important things to do.
... Such as that one idea you had in mind as a new location on the group's map! You see, you've been thinking to yourself for a while: these ferrets? They could use a pool. And not just any pool, but a magical one! Right in the ferrety clans' meeting grounds. It'd be a nice way to help everyone relax during those monthly get-togethers, and provides an interesting setting for that one forbidden romance couple you and a friend have been developing on the side (your ferret with their skunk. It's been getting pretty steamy.) And once a year, on every harvest moon, a unicorn appears to change the water of the pool to a different color. This is such a cool idea, man! There's no way the admins can say no to that!
~Step 6~
OH MY GODS YOU ARE SO P.I.S.S.E.D. RIGHT NOW.
You know what those dirty stinkin' staff members did? They told you no. No. NO to your flawless, perfect idea! You liked this idea! Your friends liked this idea. But the admins? Oooooohhhh, no, they couldn't see your genius for what it was. Those disgusting tyrants had the audacity to tell you that the world of
FerretsUnited doesn't allow for magical pools, or unicorns! Even worse, they told you that your ideas could potentially interfere with other members' plans. Other members? Other members?! What about you? What about that forbidden romance plot you had going with your ferret and his three skunky concubines? How will you four be able to salvage your plot now that your idea was so coldly denied?! If members really were going to have a problem with a magical pool, couldn't they just take it up with you instead? You totally could have yelled them into submission without the admins' help at all!You know what you must do now, Speaker of Ferrets. That
~Step 7~
Okay, so you took some time to calm down (against your better judgement, but still) and think things over for a bit. You locked yourself in your room, meditated on lunchables and airheads, and prayed to the Roleplay Gods for guidance on what step to take next. For good measure, you also threatened to stop giving sacrificial offerings to them if they didn't pay attention to you.
And it was then, in that time of darkness and solitude, that an epiphany finally hit you.
FerretsUnited has been your home for about... eh, two years now? FU, on the other hand, has been around for at least five. It was founded by foreplayers long before your time as an rp addict, forged by ancient forces before eventually being passed down to the group of tyrannical admins you now see before you. Although you must admit, they've done their part, too. They may not be the ones who first created this Ferrety paradise, but they are the ones who slaved away on its revamping age to make it the group it is, today. The group you joined years and years later.... Which is exactly why you were destined to make this group your own.
That's right, my special snowflake. You may have stumbled into
FerretsUnited long after its conception, birth, and public school years; it may be that you only got to meet it once it had already graduated into a beautiful figurative college student... but by golly, it is time for you to raise your sword of justice and claim this symbolic college student as a betrothed for yourself and your closest friends! (The admins may have chosen friends on their staff team, but this is different! Cause your friends are like... cooler friends! Way cooler!)(Well, the admins say that they only became friends after getting to know one another on the job, but you know better than that. You can see through their LIES.)
Time to start buckling down and weaving the most passive aggressive messages you can possibly make. Remember; the more passive aggressive, the easier you can get away with harrassing those good-for-nuthin' tyrants straight outta the office.
After all, what this Ferrety land really needs is an admin like YOU.
~Step 8~
Just a friendly reminder to make sure and do your research before you lead FU onto that road of glorious mutiny. Did you ever watch Star Wars before? No? Well, I think it's time you hopped onto that couch of yours and start taking notes on the Dark Side, you filthy Trekkie!
More specifically, you should pay attention to the prequels. Those old classics are tired retellings of the evergoing war of good vs. evil. You are above such archaic things. You? Your destiny is to become the Anakin Skywalker of Ferret-loving roleplayers everywhere.
Go on, young padawan. Be the self entitled hero that everyone (on your friend's list) wanted all along.
Note: Don't forget to complain about the sand. It's coarse and gets everywhere.Oh, and that forbidden relationship? Don't worry, you're gonna score skunk concubines everywhere, baby.~Step 9~
Always remember to look to the Holy Scriptures when you are feeling lost or undecided, or in need of guidance (no human on this earth is worthy of your ear anyways.)
Internet Proverbs 23:19
"You are NEVER too old to fight with people on the internet over a fictional group of fictional ferrets that other people made." (New Living Translation)
Also, those people who are still expressing doubt over that idea you had with the unicorn and the color-changing pool? You make sure and shut them down. UNI IS A VERY SPECIAL PART OF YOUR LIFE OKAY?! SHE GOT YOU THROUGH A LOT OF BAD TIMES.
~Step 10~
You wake up one day from your power-thirsty stupor to realize half the people you were getting into verbal spats with every day have finally left the group. Not only that, but it has left behind a chorus of horrified members who have the audacity to name you the one at fault for all these shed tears and empty spaces.
Ugh, how dare they! Clearly they're just biased, sniveling fan-kids. Not at all like your far classier circle of friends, who have always been able to see the light and back up the right people. Don't lose faith, young padawan! The people (that matter) still support you! Hold steadfast to your beliefs, and know that the throne you crave is just waiting for you to arrive.
Speaking of which, some of those friends have somehow found themselves in the totally deserved spots of power that the former team left behind. Currently they are battling their fellow staff members, yelling at anyone who disagrees with your superior mindset as they pave the way for your glorious reign.
Gooooood, goooooood. It's only a matter of time, now...
~Step 11~
You... you did it.
You finally did it. After months of figurative toil and foaming spitfire, you have climbed your way to the top, donned your new Vader mask, and conquered the lands you were so divinely led to.
FerretsUnited is officially your domain. You even got rid of that outdated co-leadership system that had been around for WAY too long, returning the rank of Head Admin to FU, just like you'd wanted to alllll this time. It may have nearly caused the group's death a few years back, but you? You're better than that. Under your totaltarian domain, nothing can go wrong! You know this, your friends know this, that new band of preteen cultists you managed to get to swear fealty to you upon your promotion know this.And you? As you stand on the cliffside overseeing Unicorn Pool, cape blowing in the wind as your magical staff continues to shoot lasers at the landscape beyond, setting all that is old to flames and forging a perfect world for yourself and your bestest pals, as ferrets shriek in agony in the distance and all the skunk ladies fall at your character's feet begging for his love and mercy, you think to yourself... yes.
Yes. I have achieved all that is important in the world.
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Quick Updates
4 min read
Well, this is less of an update and more of an apology. Not for taking such a long (and still ongoing) hiatus from dA, but for being so silent with people on here who genuinely care about me and who I consider my friends. I hope I haven't worried you, and if I have, I'm sorry. I'd like to let you know that I'm doing okay. Not perfect, not fine... but okay. School is going great, I'm playing fun games, drawing in my sketchbook, brainstorming ideas... I may be dead on The-Skykian-Archives, but I'm most certainly not dead to the world.
If you'd like to remain in contact with me through more reliable means, just note me as I'd be happy to stay in touch. <3
As for the fate of this account, I honestly cannot tell you all in good conscience that things will be the way it used to be. I can't tell you when I'll "come back," how active I'll be when I do, or even if I can tell you with certainty that the stories for my pokemon trainer characters will be finished; as badly as I want to do that because there were so many great moments in my AS playthrough that I'd love to showcase.
Much like Asante-Sana, I've been immensely enjoying my time away. I'm exercising creative muscles that I hadn't had the chance to "pamper" in a long while. And I'm learning to heal and move on from all the trials I endured on deviantArt, although I'll admit it's a slow and steady process.
The original goal was to start re-integrating myself into the swing of things on my The-Skykian-Archives account as soon as April hit, but I've come to realize that this wouldn't be a wise decision at this point in time. dA's been a wonderful place for me in the past, but in recent months it has become a name that I can only associate with endless cycles of stress, blame, bullying, hurt, and broken trust. It has affected me in ways that I didn't want to admit to myself for a long time, simply because it meant admitting that people had managed to hurt me so strongly and so deeply. That's a tough thing for me to come to terms with; one of my biggest traits-- and biggest faults-- is my pride, and I don't like to get it bruised.
Deviantart has sadly become something of a stress trigger for me and has begun affecting me beyond just the emotional level. If I think about things too long, I start fighting waves of anxiety or having to deal with seriously painful migraines. I've been through a handful of incredibly stressful situations in my life, where anxiety and panic attacks were involved, but I didn't start suffering from frequent migraines until all the... lovely events of recent past. And the fact I'm starting to suffer physically from trivial online squabbles honestly scares me. I want to take good care of myself. Taking good care of myself was something I'd resolved to do from the beginning of the year.
So I'm not staying offline out of anger or a lack of care for the people who have supported me throughout the years, because great Sator, you all are so awesome. I think it's obvious by now that I'm staying away for the sake of my health-- all aspects of it. I can't guarantee when I'll be "all better," or "back," or anything of the sort, but know that I'm still alive and I haven't forgotten about you. I hope everyone's been enjoying their own 2016 so far, and whatever that entails. ^^
Also: .... Holy sh*t. Did I just achieve ninja llama status??? xD
If you'd like to remain in contact with me through more reliable means, just note me as I'd be happy to stay in touch. <3
As for the fate of this account, I honestly cannot tell you all in good conscience that things will be the way it used to be. I can't tell you when I'll "come back," how active I'll be when I do, or even if I can tell you with certainty that the stories for my pokemon trainer characters will be finished; as badly as I want to do that because there were so many great moments in my AS playthrough that I'd love to showcase.
Much like Asante-Sana, I've been immensely enjoying my time away. I'm exercising creative muscles that I hadn't had the chance to "pamper" in a long while. And I'm learning to heal and move on from all the trials I endured on deviantArt, although I'll admit it's a slow and steady process.
The original goal was to start re-integrating myself into the swing of things on my The-Skykian-Archives account as soon as April hit, but I've come to realize that this wouldn't be a wise decision at this point in time. dA's been a wonderful place for me in the past, but in recent months it has become a name that I can only associate with endless cycles of stress, blame, bullying, hurt, and broken trust. It has affected me in ways that I didn't want to admit to myself for a long time, simply because it meant admitting that people had managed to hurt me so strongly and so deeply. That's a tough thing for me to come to terms with; one of my biggest traits-- and biggest faults-- is my pride, and I don't like to get it bruised.
Deviantart has sadly become something of a stress trigger for me and has begun affecting me beyond just the emotional level. If I think about things too long, I start fighting waves of anxiety or having to deal with seriously painful migraines. I've been through a handful of incredibly stressful situations in my life, where anxiety and panic attacks were involved, but I didn't start suffering from frequent migraines until all the... lovely events of recent past. And the fact I'm starting to suffer physically from trivial online squabbles honestly scares me. I want to take good care of myself. Taking good care of myself was something I'd resolved to do from the beginning of the year.
So I'm not staying offline out of anger or a lack of care for the people who have supported me throughout the years, because great Sator, you all are so awesome. I think it's obvious by now that I'm staying away for the sake of my health-- all aspects of it. I can't guarantee when I'll be "all better," or "back," or anything of the sort, but know that I'm still alive and I haven't forgotten about you. I hope everyone's been enjoying their own 2016 so far, and whatever that entails. ^^
Also: .... Holy sh*t. Did I just achieve ninja llama status??? xD
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The Dreaded Character Meme
20 min read
<s>You guys are evil |D</s>
So I've been dragged into the super-viral character meme thing now. AND HERE I THOUGHT I COULD SLIP UNDER YOUR NOSES.
Ah well, this will be fun and I feel like it'd be a nice compensation sorta deal to the good friends I'm leaving behind in EBC. I love you guys, never forget that ;w; I was tagged with requests for specific characters, but since I have so few of them I figured I might as well throw 'em all out there. (Don't think I've forgotten CoTV either! Thistlestar's on the bottom of the list :3 )
First up!
1. Ah, Evan, my little cheetah bab... Except he didn't start out as a cheetah! Those of you who know about my D&D shenanigans would already know about my first tabletop character, Ismene. Now the thing about D&D games is that being active isn't going to keep your character alive; their entire fate lies in the hands of the dice you roll, so depending on your luck, you could wind up watching your character die just-like-that. Being someone who can't help getting attached to their characters easily, this thought absolutely terrified me, and after a few uncomfortably close calls in some of Ismene's battles I resolved to start making a plan B character that I could still be invested in in the event of her death. Ultimately, I decided to make a slightly older brother who'd been separated from her from an early age. He would start searching for his sister in his adulthood, but by the time he finally tracked her down, it would have been just a few days after her hypothetical passing. Feeling as though he let her down, this brother would join the party of adventurers and take up the cause she left behind. And thus, Evander was born!
Over time, however, I grew attached to his general personality and spirit and decided I wanted to take a shot at actually playing him somewhere. Since I was having so much fun with Cynthia, I chose to make him my second character, and that's how he joined EBC. Evan was a gladiator for some time; I actually wasn't considered for an admin position until about half a year or so had passed.
2. Speaking of that rise to leadership, I tend to look back on that event with mixed feelings for longer-standing reasons than the recent cess pool of issues that encouraged me to leave. Evander was promoted mainly because I'd had prior experience in other rp groups, and because the current leader and silver at the time couldn't do the job anymore. I believe Remus's leader had decided to leave, and Cyrus couldn't take leadership due to inactivity and having death strikes (which at the time disqualified people from taking leadership.)
In any case, Evander taking the position actually caused a very small uproar; a few people were rather upset that Cyrus wasn't becoming leader, including Shadow's healer who left EBC because of this decision. As excited as I'd been to become part of staff, this all somewhat soured the occasion and I couldn't help feeling slightly guilty about it throughout the rest of my time as an EBC admin. That might have been what factored into Evander's friendliness and approachable attitude, as well as my dedication to EBC's lore. I wanted to make up for the dissent that I'd indirectly caused.
I guess... that's why I didn't have the heart to stay when people started complaining about intimidating admins and my 'dictatorship' over the group's lore.
3. Evander was just short of killing Thalia's abusive father when he first found her being attacked by him, but his new oaths as a Shadow Empire gladiator stopped him. He actually still holds a grudge against the guy and has already resolved to just beat the crap out of him again if he sees him. |D Evander loves kids and takes abuse very seriously.
4. Which is why he took the whole thing with Laertes especially hard. Stone and I had actually started a note rp where Evan would confront him about the killed Tribunes, and while it was never finished, I did have an idea in mind as to how the conversation might go (at least on Evander's end.) Evan was obviously going to express dismay and anger at the whole ordeal, but after his short blow-up his tone would fade back into exhaustion and defeat, asking rhetorically why it had to happen, and even talking about how glad he'd been when Laertes had returned to Shadow Empire, survived the battle on Lightning/Shadow's border, and returned safe and sound after the Mega Raid. But after some reminiscing and solemn moments of silence, he'd ask Taze if he knew what Evander would have to do now. And despite how much of a hard-ass Evan was in the Exile Gathering, this private conversation would have been more along the lines of "I hope you understand why I'm going to have to do this, because I still love you and I always will and I will do what I can for our family but this just isn't something I can condone or allow. It's not Shadow Empire. I'm sorry."
In truth, he still loves him like a son, even after everything that's happened. He always will.
5. I once painted over an old cheetah toy of mine in Evander's likeness. It's been sitting on my Ratha bookshelf ever since, and I've been telling myself to take a picture of it and share it on dA for years, but I'm a horrible procrastinator and never got around to it.
6. Evander felt immensely guilty about leaving Aiode to fight Alukard on her own in the Mega Raid (after she pretty much yelled at him to go and find Thalia) and blamed himself for the serval's capture. When she returned he began to give her a heartfelt apology, to which she responded by interrupting him, cussing him out for being such a sissy, reiterating that this was her choice and possibly giving him a little slap to snap him out of it. The two have been good friends since.
In completely platonic terms, Evan is Aiode's b**ch.
7. If there's anything I absolutely enjoyed about Evander, it was making it a point to not correct people when they referred to him as a female in short stories, quick mentions in roleplays, or in chats with me. xD It was just so much fun getting to see their "OH WAIT-A-MINUTE" reactions long after they'd grown comfortable with the idea of my girly-looking cheetahpard actually being a girl, lol!
8. Evander's actually really happy to have retired, because it means he gets to spend his nights huddled up with his bestest buddies AND his wifey AND the ocelynxes AND his forever-baby Theseus once he graduates to gladiator. As you can tell, Evan's a very family-oriented guy.
1. In truth, Prisca was mostly made as a challenge for myself. At the time I still saw the Hunters in a somewhat negative-- or at least antagonistic-- light, and I wanted to help myself understand that they weren't all sadistic, snarky assholes and that it was possible to play a good hunter who just wanted to do their job. Which made me ask myself: could I essentially make a pokemon out of a Hunter? Could I make a cat who was fighting for all the right reasons? Love for her human owner, a desire to protect city friends and family, and justifiable reasons to dislike the empires? Much to my surprise and joy, I was successful in doing just that. Prisca helped me understand the Bounty Hunters' plight and even acknowledge faults in the Empires' lifestyles, such as the caravans they raided and the damage they caused to cats and other people in their raids and escapes.
Even if she's not completely emotionally stable, what I love most about Prisca is that she always means well, even when she's swept up in over-emotional reactions.
2. Prisca actually hesitates to fight cats much smaller than her because of how helpless she felt as an abused cub. Her violent reaction to Fovos in the Mega Raid was probably the first and last time she'd ever viciously maul a small breed... she felt like a monster in that moment. Like her mother. After this, Prisca was going to make a conscious effort to avoid harming apprentices and tinier empire gladiators.
3. Prisca thinks Alukard is creepy, but mostly dislikes him because of how nervous he makes her Master. xD
4. Prisca didn't like to admit it, but she was still afraid of her mother even after she reached adolescence. A subconscious part of her was always afraid that somehow, she would be taken away from Master and trapped with Viatrix again. If Viatrix had ever randomly attacked her for any reason on the street, Prisca actually would not have had the nerve to fight back and would have regressed into a helpless cub mentality, begging her to stop and leave her alone. Her courage would have extended only to protecting her human from her mother's anger.
As you can imagine, she was sincerely relieved when Viatrix was found dead after the raid. Which makes me sad, because Viatrix's story is downright tragic. Not even Cynthia could give her proper remembrance or grief after the crazy cougar tried to kidnap her daughter...
5. Prisca still believes that Krowe was a damn dirty G-G-G-G-GHOOOOOOOOST.
6. As much as Asante and I were shameless shipping trash over the human versions of Dezz/Orcus and Prisca, their kitty versions weren't quite there yet and probably weren't going to be for years. This is partially due to the good friendship the two had, and partially due to neither of them ever having seen or been exposed to what genuine love/a healthy relationship looked or felt like. Neither of their parents were lucky in that department, and Myan/Kallen's relationship wasn't exactly the greatest example for Prisca, either.
7. However, this doesn't mean the seeds for this wasn't already there. While no legit feelings were established canon in their EBC story, Prisca did feel the spark of something on the morning of the Mega Raid, when Dezz first told her about the plan he was a part of for the Assassins. With no name or recognition for what she felt that day, it was just... easy for Prisca to dismiss it. She logically deduced that the only reason that memory continued to haunt her was because the thought of losing her friend upset her, just as the thought of losing her brother or her father did. It couldn't be because of anything else. Right?
8. In spite of this, Prisca has harbored a very low-key, almost elementary crush on Augustine (again subconscious) that's tempered by her respect for his ideals aaaand... a general dislike of him. |D However, the dislike mostly stems from her confusion over his gentlemanly attitude and overall casual demeanor, and how he can easily encourage her to actually have conversations.
1. Although people often draw him with triangular, tufted ears, Garen's ears are actually meant to be just as round as a snow leopard's. The only thing he inherited from his father's ear traits were the tufts on the end. I probably didn't convey that well enough in my own illustrations of him but, y'know. |D That was a thing.
2. When infant/toddler Garen was first taken away from Nedria, one of the reasons he clung so immediately to Andromeda was because of how similar the two looked. His cubby brain only saw the dark places under the blue eyes and the gray fur with dark spots, and simply thought that his father had brought him back to Mommy after a scary quiet walk in the forest by themselves. When he was later reunited with Nedria in his adulthood, Garen was actually surprised by his mothers' similarities, as he'd completely forgotten about being separated from Nedria at all.
3. I cried like a little girl when Nedria and Garen first met each other again. I still feel emotional when I read through the blog rp.
4. Originally, I'd intended for Garen to be the son that Soren and Andromeda had never had, a way to give some love to the lesser known pairing and to help reunite the two once Soren came back (I admittedly had my suspicions about Krowe for some time.) However, when plans for Soren's return fell through, Andro got with Brutus, and crazy plot stuff started going underway, Garen went down a completely different path; finding himself torn between two mothers he sincerely cared about and experiencing his issues with blood vs. empire more strongly than previously intended. The nice thing about the Mega Raid was that it united the empires for a short amount of time and allowed him to get to know everyone in his ridiculously extended family.
5. When Soren first took Garen out on a walk in Fire Empire's woods, he freaked out. He looked up at those big oak trees with their spindly, wide-spread branches and thought they were giant spiders.
6. Garen loves spending time with Xephos and will often tell him stories from Empire Lore. Unfortunately he doesn't know too much lore outside of stories concerning Fire Empire and Ignis, but he's been trying to think of a way to collect more.
7. On rare occasions, Garen has had nightmares about him and Claire being cornered by hunters the way that Soren and Circe were, and not being able to help her escape. He's never talked about it simply because he doesn't like thinking about it at all. It goes in the subconscious vault every time. As it is, helping Claire get over her own trauma has been help enough for him. He loves his apprentice and just wants to see her happy.
8. There were originally plans for Garen to find out about Soren and the defection in Rome, and a story arc where he'd go through a period of bitter resentment that he'd eventually get over with the help of his remaining family and friends. However, these plans were cancelled after I made the decision to leave, and looking back I think that was a good thing. Garen has experienced so much loss and anxiety with parental figures that I'm surprised he even lets Andromeda out of his sight anymore, but at least when Andromeda left, she came back... and well, Nedria had never really had a choice. With Soren, things were different. So many had grieved over his death. Garen underwent months of emotional trauma and social comatose. His memory was part of what fueled the Mega Raid, the feelings of vengeance that Andromeda struggled with, and part of why Nedria agreed to partake in a war that ultimately resulted in her capture. All for a cat who wasn't really dead. In retrospect? I'm not sure how I could have even managed to help Garen get over feelings of betrayal that strong. It's definitely for the best that this didn't become a thing.
9. Back when they were all still cubs, Garen actually had a small crush on Sohnii's late sister, Chipo. He never told his adoptive brother this. There was no point when it'd just make things sadder.
10. While it won't happen for a long time, plans as to how Garen will wind up leaving Fire Empire are already solidified. I can't talk much about it right now since I'm not sure how exactly things will play out, but what I can tell you is that it would be a mercy-capture that was ultimately necessary. Anyone with close connections to the character are free to talk to me about things, because even if he isn't dying, I still want Garen and all his loved ones to have some type of closure. I'm okay with some of them ultimately knowing what exactly happened to him in the end.
1. It's been so long that it's barely even common knowledge anymore, but Cynthia actually started out as a group adopt! This is her original app:
2. Cynthia will always hold a special place in my heart for a number of reasons, but one of the main ones is how many people personally approached me over the years, telling me how much they loved her story and character growth and how her trials and triumphs actually helped them face some real life demons. I... I mean, that thought always floors me. My character actually helped people. I'm so thankful that I was able to give something to others just through owning and playing this little caracal, and it's one of the reasons why I don't think I'll ever regret my time in EBC, even with the way things ended.
3. Crispus was actually supposed to be one of the ScaeNia cubs! I'd been given one of the four, but later on grew attached to Ceres's family and felt bad that Kota didn't have an active sibling to interact with. So I asked if Crispy's fate could be switched over, and the admins collectively agreed under the circumstances. <s>Didn't get him out of that whole daddy issues problem, though.</s>
4. Crispus still feels guilt over the way he treated Plato in the beginning.
5. Dap, Scarflash and I actually did an rp where Crisp/Plato/Orpheus were all able to talk things out and develop more of a closeness with each other (since Orpheus greatly disliked Crispus and Crispus in turn was kind of irritated with him.) It's finished, but I haven't cleaned it up yet.
6. In his adolescence, Nero had a bit of a celebrity crush on Vayea.
1. Thistlestar was the first legit warriors cat that I played in a dA group (City of Sundown doesn't really count since it had its own little thing going on).
2. Her eye-color was originally very similar to Cynthia's, but seeing as the two already had so many similarities (big ears, long legs, black eye markings) I decided to tweak it a little bit, which is why they look more turquoise/teal now!
3. The events with the bird plague immensely strengthened Thistlestar's faith in StarClan, and she now keeps a careful eye out for any strange imagery from her dreams or signs in the waking world. She prays to them for guidance, wisdom, strength, what-have-you a lot more often than she used to, as well.
4. While the whole execution thing pissed her off to high heaven, Thistlestar doesn't blame Leapstar for his anger against PlainesClan, or even his clan's overall vengeful opinion on the subject. She does believe that PlainesClan should pay a penance of some kind for what they put CloverClan through and for the kits the latter clan lost due to lack of prey... she just doesn't believe murder is the answer. However, she's completely at a loss on ideas, and she and Leapstar aren't exactly on the best of terms right now.
5. Thistlestar feels really bad about the trauma she put Needlekit through, and sincerely hopes she didn't cause him any permanent emotional damage over the ordeal. She loves her little Mama's Boy.
6. Thistle has a tendency to purr and rub against Silverstorm's fluffiness whenever she's passing him by, even if she's in a hurry somewhere.
7. While Thistlestar loves her home, she does enjoy gazing at the mountains and sometimes wonders what it's like to live there. She envies the isolation and independence Veldstar's clan has, and wishes her own clan had the same freedom. Just kept far away from all the issues and problems and wars of the valley.
8. Thistlestar still loves to spoil her mother by bringing her tasty mice and Nettlesting for her joints!
... Idk I feel like everyone and their mother has been tagged by this meme. If you wanna take a shot at it, go ahead and say I tagged you. |D
Evander
1. Ah, Evan, my little cheetah bab... Except he didn't start out as a cheetah! Those of you who know about my D&D shenanigans would already know about my first tabletop character, Ismene. Now the thing about D&D games is that being active isn't going to keep your character alive; their entire fate lies in the hands of the dice you roll, so depending on your luck, you could wind up watching your character die just-like-that. Being someone who can't help getting attached to their characters easily, this thought absolutely terrified me, and after a few uncomfortably close calls in some of Ismene's battles I resolved to start making a plan B character that I could still be invested in in the event of her death. Ultimately, I decided to make a slightly older brother who'd been separated from her from an early age. He would start searching for his sister in his adulthood, but by the time he finally tracked her down, it would have been just a few days after her hypothetical passing. Feeling as though he let her down, this brother would join the party of adventurers and take up the cause she left behind. And thus, Evander was born!
Over time, however, I grew attached to his general personality and spirit and decided I wanted to take a shot at actually playing him somewhere. Since I was having so much fun with Cynthia, I chose to make him my second character, and that's how he joined EBC. Evan was a gladiator for some time; I actually wasn't considered for an admin position until about half a year or so had passed.
2. Speaking of that rise to leadership, I tend to look back on that event with mixed feelings for longer-standing reasons than the recent cess pool of issues that encouraged me to leave. Evander was promoted mainly because I'd had prior experience in other rp groups, and because the current leader and silver at the time couldn't do the job anymore. I believe Remus's leader had decided to leave, and Cyrus couldn't take leadership due to inactivity and having death strikes (which at the time disqualified people from taking leadership.)
In any case, Evander taking the position actually caused a very small uproar; a few people were rather upset that Cyrus wasn't becoming leader, including Shadow's healer who left EBC because of this decision. As excited as I'd been to become part of staff, this all somewhat soured the occasion and I couldn't help feeling slightly guilty about it throughout the rest of my time as an EBC admin. That might have been what factored into Evander's friendliness and approachable attitude, as well as my dedication to EBC's lore. I wanted to make up for the dissent that I'd indirectly caused.
I guess... that's why I didn't have the heart to stay when people started complaining about intimidating admins and my 'dictatorship' over the group's lore.
3. Evander was just short of killing Thalia's abusive father when he first found her being attacked by him, but his new oaths as a Shadow Empire gladiator stopped him. He actually still holds a grudge against the guy and has already resolved to just beat the crap out of him again if he sees him. |D Evander loves kids and takes abuse very seriously.
4. Which is why he took the whole thing with Laertes especially hard. Stone and I had actually started a note rp where Evan would confront him about the killed Tribunes, and while it was never finished, I did have an idea in mind as to how the conversation might go (at least on Evander's end.) Evan was obviously going to express dismay and anger at the whole ordeal, but after his short blow-up his tone would fade back into exhaustion and defeat, asking rhetorically why it had to happen, and even talking about how glad he'd been when Laertes had returned to Shadow Empire, survived the battle on Lightning/Shadow's border, and returned safe and sound after the Mega Raid. But after some reminiscing and solemn moments of silence, he'd ask Taze if he knew what Evander would have to do now. And despite how much of a hard-ass Evan was in the Exile Gathering, this private conversation would have been more along the lines of "I hope you understand why I'm going to have to do this, because I still love you and I always will and I will do what I can for our family but this just isn't something I can condone or allow. It's not Shadow Empire. I'm sorry."
In truth, he still loves him like a son, even after everything that's happened. He always will.
5. I once painted over an old cheetah toy of mine in Evander's likeness. It's been sitting on my Ratha bookshelf ever since, and I've been telling myself to take a picture of it and share it on dA for years, but I'm a horrible procrastinator and never got around to it.
6. Evander felt immensely guilty about leaving Aiode to fight Alukard on her own in the Mega Raid (after she pretty much yelled at him to go and find Thalia) and blamed himself for the serval's capture. When she returned he began to give her a heartfelt apology, to which she responded by interrupting him, cussing him out for being such a sissy, reiterating that this was her choice and possibly giving him a little slap to snap him out of it. The two have been good friends since.
In completely platonic terms, Evan is Aiode's b**ch.
7. If there's anything I absolutely enjoyed about Evander, it was making it a point to not correct people when they referred to him as a female in short stories, quick mentions in roleplays, or in chats with me. xD It was just so much fun getting to see their "OH WAIT-A-MINUTE" reactions long after they'd grown comfortable with the idea of my girly-looking cheetahpard actually being a girl, lol!
8. Evander's actually really happy to have retired, because it means he gets to spend his nights huddled up with his bestest buddies AND his wifey AND the ocelynxes AND his forever-baby Theseus once he graduates to gladiator. As you can tell, Evan's a very family-oriented guy.
Prisca
1. In truth, Prisca was mostly made as a challenge for myself. At the time I still saw the Hunters in a somewhat negative-- or at least antagonistic-- light, and I wanted to help myself understand that they weren't all sadistic, snarky assholes and that it was possible to play a good hunter who just wanted to do their job. Which made me ask myself: could I essentially make a pokemon out of a Hunter? Could I make a cat who was fighting for all the right reasons? Love for her human owner, a desire to protect city friends and family, and justifiable reasons to dislike the empires? Much to my surprise and joy, I was successful in doing just that. Prisca helped me understand the Bounty Hunters' plight and even acknowledge faults in the Empires' lifestyles, such as the caravans they raided and the damage they caused to cats and other people in their raids and escapes.
Even if she's not completely emotionally stable, what I love most about Prisca is that she always means well, even when she's swept up in over-emotional reactions.
2. Prisca actually hesitates to fight cats much smaller than her because of how helpless she felt as an abused cub. Her violent reaction to Fovos in the Mega Raid was probably the first and last time she'd ever viciously maul a small breed... she felt like a monster in that moment. Like her mother. After this, Prisca was going to make a conscious effort to avoid harming apprentices and tinier empire gladiators.
3. Prisca thinks Alukard is creepy, but mostly dislikes him because of how nervous he makes her Master. xD
4. Prisca didn't like to admit it, but she was still afraid of her mother even after she reached adolescence. A subconscious part of her was always afraid that somehow, she would be taken away from Master and trapped with Viatrix again. If Viatrix had ever randomly attacked her for any reason on the street, Prisca actually would not have had the nerve to fight back and would have regressed into a helpless cub mentality, begging her to stop and leave her alone. Her courage would have extended only to protecting her human from her mother's anger.
As you can imagine, she was sincerely relieved when Viatrix was found dead after the raid. Which makes me sad, because Viatrix's story is downright tragic. Not even Cynthia could give her proper remembrance or grief after the crazy cougar tried to kidnap her daughter...
5. Prisca still believes that Krowe was a damn dirty G-G-G-G-GHOOOOOOOOST.
6. As much as Asante and I were shameless shipping trash over the human versions of Dezz/Orcus and Prisca, their kitty versions weren't quite there yet and probably weren't going to be for years. This is partially due to the good friendship the two had, and partially due to neither of them ever having seen or been exposed to what genuine love/a healthy relationship looked or felt like. Neither of their parents were lucky in that department, and Myan/Kallen's relationship wasn't exactly the greatest example for Prisca, either.
7. However, this doesn't mean the seeds for this wasn't already there. While no legit feelings were established canon in their EBC story, Prisca did feel the spark of something on the morning of the Mega Raid, when Dezz first told her about the plan he was a part of for the Assassins. With no name or recognition for what she felt that day, it was just... easy for Prisca to dismiss it. She logically deduced that the only reason that memory continued to haunt her was because the thought of losing her friend upset her, just as the thought of losing her brother or her father did. It couldn't be because of anything else. Right?
8. In spite of this, Prisca has harbored a very low-key, almost elementary crush on Augustine (again subconscious) that's tempered by her respect for his ideals aaaand... a general dislike of him. |D However, the dislike mostly stems from her confusion over his gentlemanly attitude and overall casual demeanor, and how he can easily encourage her to actually have conversations.
Garen
1. Although people often draw him with triangular, tufted ears, Garen's ears are actually meant to be just as round as a snow leopard's. The only thing he inherited from his father's ear traits were the tufts on the end. I probably didn't convey that well enough in my own illustrations of him but, y'know. |D That was a thing.
2. When infant/toddler Garen was first taken away from Nedria, one of the reasons he clung so immediately to Andromeda was because of how similar the two looked. His cubby brain only saw the dark places under the blue eyes and the gray fur with dark spots, and simply thought that his father had brought him back to Mommy after a scary quiet walk in the forest by themselves. When he was later reunited with Nedria in his adulthood, Garen was actually surprised by his mothers' similarities, as he'd completely forgotten about being separated from Nedria at all.
3. I cried like a little girl when Nedria and Garen first met each other again. I still feel emotional when I read through the blog rp.
4. Originally, I'd intended for Garen to be the son that Soren and Andromeda had never had, a way to give some love to the lesser known pairing and to help reunite the two once Soren came back (I admittedly had my suspicions about Krowe for some time.) However, when plans for Soren's return fell through, Andro got with Brutus, and crazy plot stuff started going underway, Garen went down a completely different path; finding himself torn between two mothers he sincerely cared about and experiencing his issues with blood vs. empire more strongly than previously intended. The nice thing about the Mega Raid was that it united the empires for a short amount of time and allowed him to get to know everyone in his ridiculously extended family.
5. When Soren first took Garen out on a walk in Fire Empire's woods, he freaked out. He looked up at those big oak trees with their spindly, wide-spread branches and thought they were giant spiders.
6. Garen loves spending time with Xephos and will often tell him stories from Empire Lore. Unfortunately he doesn't know too much lore outside of stories concerning Fire Empire and Ignis, but he's been trying to think of a way to collect more.
7. On rare occasions, Garen has had nightmares about him and Claire being cornered by hunters the way that Soren and Circe were, and not being able to help her escape. He's never talked about it simply because he doesn't like thinking about it at all. It goes in the subconscious vault every time. As it is, helping Claire get over her own trauma has been help enough for him. He loves his apprentice and just wants to see her happy.
8. There were originally plans for Garen to find out about Soren and the defection in Rome, and a story arc where he'd go through a period of bitter resentment that he'd eventually get over with the help of his remaining family and friends. However, these plans were cancelled after I made the decision to leave, and looking back I think that was a good thing. Garen has experienced so much loss and anxiety with parental figures that I'm surprised he even lets Andromeda out of his sight anymore, but at least when Andromeda left, she came back... and well, Nedria had never really had a choice. With Soren, things were different. So many had grieved over his death. Garen underwent months of emotional trauma and social comatose. His memory was part of what fueled the Mega Raid, the feelings of vengeance that Andromeda struggled with, and part of why Nedria agreed to partake in a war that ultimately resulted in her capture. All for a cat who wasn't really dead. In retrospect? I'm not sure how I could have even managed to help Garen get over feelings of betrayal that strong. It's definitely for the best that this didn't become a thing.
9. Back when they were all still cubs, Garen actually had a small crush on Sohnii's late sister, Chipo. He never told his adoptive brother this. There was no point when it'd just make things sadder.
10. While it won't happen for a long time, plans as to how Garen will wind up leaving Fire Empire are already solidified. I can't talk much about it right now since I'm not sure how exactly things will play out, but what I can tell you is that it would be a mercy-capture that was ultimately necessary. Anyone with close connections to the character are free to talk to me about things, because even if he isn't dying, I still want Garen and all his loved ones to have some type of closure. I'm okay with some of them ultimately knowing what exactly happened to him in the end.
And now for some miscellaneous crud.
1. It's been so long that it's barely even common knowledge anymore, but Cynthia actually started out as a group adopt! This is her original app:
2. Cynthia will always hold a special place in my heart for a number of reasons, but one of the main ones is how many people personally approached me over the years, telling me how much they loved her story and character growth and how her trials and triumphs actually helped them face some real life demons. I... I mean, that thought always floors me. My character actually helped people. I'm so thankful that I was able to give something to others just through owning and playing this little caracal, and it's one of the reasons why I don't think I'll ever regret my time in EBC, even with the way things ended.
3. Crispus was actually supposed to be one of the ScaeNia cubs! I'd been given one of the four, but later on grew attached to Ceres's family and felt bad that Kota didn't have an active sibling to interact with. So I asked if Crispy's fate could be switched over, and the admins collectively agreed under the circumstances. <s>Didn't get him out of that whole daddy issues problem, though.</s>
4. Crispus still feels guilt over the way he treated Plato in the beginning.
5. Dap, Scarflash and I actually did an rp where Crisp/Plato/Orpheus were all able to talk things out and develop more of a closeness with each other (since Orpheus greatly disliked Crispus and Crispus in turn was kind of irritated with him.) It's finished, but I haven't cleaned it up yet.
6. In his adolescence, Nero had a bit of a celebrity crush on Vayea.
Thistlestar
1. Thistlestar was the first legit warriors cat that I played in a dA group (City of Sundown doesn't really count since it had its own little thing going on).
2. Her eye-color was originally very similar to Cynthia's, but seeing as the two already had so many similarities (big ears, long legs, black eye markings) I decided to tweak it a little bit, which is why they look more turquoise/teal now!
3. The events with the bird plague immensely strengthened Thistlestar's faith in StarClan, and she now keeps a careful eye out for any strange imagery from her dreams or signs in the waking world. She prays to them for guidance, wisdom, strength, what-have-you a lot more often than she used to, as well.
4. While the whole execution thing pissed her off to high heaven, Thistlestar doesn't blame Leapstar for his anger against PlainesClan, or even his clan's overall vengeful opinion on the subject. She does believe that PlainesClan should pay a penance of some kind for what they put CloverClan through and for the kits the latter clan lost due to lack of prey... she just doesn't believe murder is the answer. However, she's completely at a loss on ideas, and she and Leapstar aren't exactly on the best of terms right now.
5. Thistlestar feels really bad about the trauma she put Needlekit through, and sincerely hopes she didn't cause him any permanent emotional damage over the ordeal. She loves her little Mama's Boy.
6. Thistle has a tendency to purr and rub against Silverstorm's fluffiness whenever she's passing him by, even if she's in a hurry somewhere.
7. While Thistlestar loves her home, she does enjoy gazing at the mountains and sometimes wonders what it's like to live there. She envies the isolation and independence Veldstar's clan has, and wishes her own clan had the same freedom. Just kept far away from all the issues and problems and wars of the valley.
8. Thistlestar still loves to spoil her mother by bringing her tasty mice and Nettlesting for her joints!
AND NOW FOR THE DREADED TAGGING.
... Idk I feel like everyone and their mother has been tagged by this meme. If you wanna take a shot at it, go ahead and say I tagged you. |D
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Final Notice on Things
4 min read
Just so everyone's on the same page.
Prisca has just been pulled out of the hunter program, and her ref has been moved to "Once Of The Empires." (I believe the same goes for Dezz/Orcus and Atlas.) For anyone who wants or needs to, however, she is still going to be living in Massilia and is therefore available for interaction.
Crispus has also been pulled out of EBC. He left Ice Empire in the dead of night to go look for his captured family members and see if he can somehow track them down.
I've decided to put an end to all activity concerning my characters, but Cynthia's EP will allow her to pay off her death strikes for roughly 3 years, though depending on how stable/happy her family is I will likely pull her out sooner than that. 2 years would be more comfortable for me to deal with; maybe even less than that.
Same goes for Evander, whose EP grants him about two years.
Garen will also be able to afford two more years of life on EP alone, meaning his family and friends will have him for a while.
Nero doesn't have as much EP beef, so I'm fine with him just eating death strikes until his mother passes away. As soon as she does, he'll have a nervous breakdown and leave. Sorry bby. (though he'll possibly be running into Crispus and co. and finding some company there. Still hashing things out.)
Shadow Empire gets to keep Anaba as a den mother NPC.
Sorry but no, none of my characters are up for adoption. They're remaining under my ownership and I would just feel better with allowing them to leave the group rather than remain there without my having a say on their life in the empires. I'm currently just a member of EBC right now for legalities and all that, and so I can actively state that I'm paying off strikes with EP. However, it would be best if you considered me a ghost in the group at this point in time.
I'm not going to continue "Home For Christmas," but I will be releasing a detailed synopsis on what was to happen next and how everything was supposed to end.
My personal characters and storylines have been calling to me with an ache that's hard to ignore so I'd like to focus on a lot more of that this year; however I will still be working on group things (not EBC) this upcoming spring/summer.
Another important detail; there's a reason why I *note* people with my personal account's link. While I'm fine with random watchers who discover my "secret" gallery on their own, I'm more guarded about it on here because quite frankly, not everyone who knows my Sky-Lily account are people I'm exactly comfortable with. If you have my personal account, I must implore you to not share it with anyone who asks for the link. If they don't want to ask me themselves, then that should be a red flag to you.
That's all for now; I'm gonna be scarce for sometime on here. After my essays and tests are done, I'd like to kind of plow through some future assigned reading and try to keep ahead of things, as well as focus more on original artwork and ideas.
Prisca has just been pulled out of the hunter program, and her ref has been moved to "Once Of The Empires." (I believe the same goes for Dezz/Orcus and Atlas.) For anyone who wants or needs to, however, she is still going to be living in Massilia and is therefore available for interaction. Crispus has also been pulled out of EBC. He left Ice Empire in the dead of night to go look for his captured family members and see if he can somehow track them down. I've decided to put an end to all activity concerning my characters, but Cynthia's EP will allow her to pay off her death strikes for roughly 3 years, though depending on how stable/happy her family is I will likely pull her out sooner than that. 2 years would be more comfortable for me to deal with; maybe even less than that. Same goes for Evander, whose EP grants him about two years. Garen will also be able to afford two more years of life on EP alone, meaning his family and friends will have him for a while. Nero doesn't have as much EP beef, so I'm fine with him just eating death strikes until his mother passes away. As soon as she does, he'll have a nervous breakdown and leave. Sorry bby. (though he'll possibly be running into Crispus and co. and finding some company there. Still hashing things out.) Shadow Empire gets to keep Anaba as a den mother NPC. Sorry but no, none of my characters are up for adoption. They're remaining under my ownership and I would just feel better with allowing them to leave the group rather than remain there without my having a say on their life in the empires. I'm currently just a member of EBC right now for legalities and all that, and so I can actively state that I'm paying off strikes with EP. However, it would be best if you considered me a ghost in the group at this point in time.Additional Information:
I'm not going to continue "Home For Christmas," but I will be releasing a detailed synopsis on what was to happen next and how everything was supposed to end.
My personal characters and storylines have been calling to me with an ache that's hard to ignore so I'd like to focus on a lot more of that this year; however I will still be working on group things (not EBC) this upcoming spring/summer.
Another important detail; there's a reason why I *note* people with my personal account's link. While I'm fine with random watchers who discover my "secret" gallery on their own, I'm more guarded about it on here because quite frankly, not everyone who knows my Sky-Lily account are people I'm exactly comfortable with. If you have my personal account, I must implore you to not share it with anyone who asks for the link. If they don't want to ask me themselves, then that should be a red flag to you.
That's all for now; I'm gonna be scarce for sometime on here. After my essays and tests are done, I'd like to kind of plow through some future assigned reading and try to keep ahead of things, as well as focus more on original artwork and ideas.
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Want To Know What I've Been Up To?
11 min read
I figured you all should know what I've been doing, since so many of you had asked so... nicely... for it.
More detailed descriptions of each Empire god and the history of their religion, as well as urban myths and phrases associated with them, were being worked on in my stash.
An origin story of their birth as little god-cublets and how Sator sired them all had also been roughly outlined and had gotten started.
A detailed summary was to be written detailing how the first empires' storytellers often gathered to share the differing tales of their land, and reformed them into the ones familiar with empire cats today, all as a means to unite the empires and try to alleviate any animosity that might arise between cats due to beliefs and such. A contest was going to be held for the group for people to create who they felt these old senior members were.
To further stress this, at least six to seven stories had been roughly outlined for each Empire god. For stories that had been clearly "modernized," footnotes were going to be at the bottom of certain stories, describing how the tale was originally/commonly told in that god's native land (i.e., Adraksh and North America) and how the original empire storytellers agreed on a different telling. There were also going to be footnotes for stories that had simply naturally brought in other elements over the course of time.
I was actually going to consult Scarflash and other admins over the most commonly mentioned Roman gods that the Hunters would believe in, and give short summaries for each one and what they stood for along with outside links being cited for people who wanted to learn more.
Legendary feline companions were being sketched and conceptualized for Diyana/Athena and Apollo; not as feline gods, but simply companions of those two gods that the hunters would have stories of just as a symbolic solidification of their bond with, and dependence on, humans.
Adraksh's story for his mastery of lightning had been fully outlined.
Aether's story for his mastery over air was fully outlined.
Aurelia's story was first outlined, then written out, and then because I wanted to submit it as the last origin story to be told, I decided to make it special by turning it into 6 illustrated pages, which in fact, have been finished in the last couple of months.
To celebrate all this reveal of new information, I was going to hold a group-wide event. Garen was going to leave Fire Empire with two member-owned cats of his choosing, and visit each of the other empires in turn, politely asking to stay for a few days and learn each empire's stories and lore in an effort to rekindle the lost and mostly forgotten tales (as an in-character explanation for why much of this had not been known beforehand). I was going to make sure that this plot got started in early April, around the same time that I was retiring.
Two member owned cats from each empire would be allowed to travel with Garen to any other empires he was going visit. These cats would be responsible for sharing their own empire's stories with rival cats, and memorizing the information and lore they would be hearing in turn.
The event was also going to involve releasing the various outlines and summaries I'd made for the lesser tales, and having a contest among members on the best detailed retelling of those tales. The contest would also allow people to make up completely new lore stories instead, and have their cat credited for sharing that story.
A similar event was going to be held for the Hunters concerning Athena/Apollo and their two cat-friend-pets.
There was going to be a whole plot involved with Lightning Empire. Eumenide wasn't going to allow Garen to enter her territory or speak with any of her cats. Therefore, the two Lightning cats to be involved in this event were going to have to rebel against their leader. Once they heard about a cat who'd been looking for storytellers to revive Adraksh's legends, they would either have to sneak out of camp and track Garen's team down, make a stink about it and angrily run out of the territory in a huff, or anything else the members in question could have come up with; making them perhaps the most courageous members of Garen's makeshift party.
After this event reached its course, Garen would make an announcement at the next gathering inviting anyone who was curious to join him and his band of storytellers at Sator's Gift for the next week or so to share and orally record these stories, officially allowing anyone from the empires to join in on this one.
After this, I was going to make a request to the admins that this be further explored in the next round of assignments, encouraging anyone who was babysitting cubs or who even had apprentices to educate, to share these stories.
Garen was going to attempt to make a tradition of sharing stories and overall having fun at the end of each gathering.
I'm sorry to say this to those of you who were looking forward to what I had planned for the group, but in light of recent events, I have decided that I no longer wish to maintain the EBC lore. What information I've stated here, the current admins of EBC can do with it whatever they wish.
The group I remember and the group I slaved away on this project for was a much different one than the group I was exposed to this week. These ideas were conceptualized at a time when I, myself, was a much different person. Every visit to EBC was one filled with joy and zeal and inspiration, every idea I had was fueled by the enjoyment I had in the group and the love I had for the community. I felt dedicated and ready for anything. And most importantly, I felt like a human being. Like people saw me as a human being instead of just a username with an avatar and a group rank that enticed resentment and dislike just because of the "admin" nametag on my metaphorical shirt.
Over time, I have slowly come to the realization that this was a shockingly one-sided outlook on things. Either the EBC I'd fallen in love with has faded with time, or it never existed and the friendly community I'd thought it was, was all just in my head. Both are equally depressing thoughts, so I don't care to think much on which one is right. All I do know is this; I don't have the spirit to continue providing content for EBC. I genuinely appreciate the kind words that were said in the journal and in the EBC feedback doc-- genuinely-- but after so long, I guess it just wasn't enough.
Believe me, I gave this some serious thought over the past few days. The lore of the empire gods was something I'd held close to my heart and had a lot of passion for, but the seething resentment I've seen in the group has slowly chipped away at that inspiration with every passing month. I really thought the crap days of 2015 were behind me, so realizing that I had not yet woken up from this nightmare of endless cycles was a huge part of my final choice. I cannot tolerate this treatment any longer and I cannot tolerate how my friends and fellow admins have been treated.
But as a last act of dedication I have decided to share with you what I had for Aurelia. Because I simply worked too hard on those six measly pages to let them rot in my stash. The original plan was to submit them only after Adraksh and Aether's stories were posted up, but with the way things are going now I don't see the point anymore.
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I will be removing most of my EBC cats by the end of 2016, if not sooner.
Therefore, if your cat had any ties to mine or had things you wish they could have discussed with my character, I am more than happy to hear you out and talk stuff out with you. I never liked leaving with loose ends and leaving people hanging. That is something I will not practice, especially after having experienced it firsthand. And I am not pulling out right away. I can assure you that we have at least until the end of April to get stuff sorted out, maybe even later if more time is needed to provide closure for everyone.
Cynthia is going to be donated to Lightning Empire as a den mother.
Evander (as well as Ayanna) is also going to be donated as a den parent for Shadow Empire. The admin staff will have license to kill them off after one to two years, IF they feel it's necessary and if people start to harass them about playing favorites. I don't want them to go through what I did.
EDIT::: After discussing with a couple of the admins it has been agreed that making these two NPCs would not be fair to the community. They will stay in as technically "active" characters, being maintained with minimal completed ACs until it's a good time for me to take them out.
Crispus will be going on a journey to try and track down Elektra and Kota, possibly Penelope if she winds up being captured too. I'm not sure yet if he'll be successful in finding anyone.
After Avita's death, Nero will be convinced that Air Empire is just not a good place for him to be. Too many bad things have happened and he doesn't want to cause any more. He'll be sneaking out.
Prisca will remain as an occasional presence in Massilia. She still lives in the city, but Master's business has gotten well... busier (lol) and he needs his cats for traveling protection much more often now, meaning that they won't be able to remain in the Hunters program. So anyone with ties to her shouldn't have to worry too much.
For anyone with characters attached to Garen I don't want you to panic just yet. I'll be keeping him for a while more, and will probably only reconsider removing him once Brutus dies, Rylan disappears, any other additional deaths etc. However, his interactions will be strictly with his family and cats he currently considers friends, because guess what? I'm just a member now, and I'm no longer obligated to prove to a community that my characters are free-for-alls in socializing.
Any final words of animosity, offense, or the like will be ignored and duly responded in whichever way I choose. And by that I mean flat out ignoring you. You already gave us your two-cents. It's only fair I give mine.
So with that said, I hereby renounce myself from all EBC admin duties. I will no longer be handling notes, answering questions, or doing anything for the lore. I and all former admins retain the rights to what lore we created for the group.
I'm sorry to do this, especially when so many people had emotional ties to these characters. But hopefully, someday you'll understand where I was coming from... and I pray you don't learn it the hard way.
More detailed descriptions of each Empire god and the history of their religion, as well as urban myths and phrases associated with them, were being worked on in my stash. An origin story of their birth as little god-cublets and how Sator sired them all had also been roughly outlined and had gotten started.A detailed summary was to be written detailing how the first empires' storytellers often gathered to share the differing tales of their land, and reformed them into the ones familiar with empire cats today, all as a means to unite the empires and try to alleviate any animosity that might arise between cats due to beliefs and such. A contest was going to be held for the group for people to create who they felt these old senior members were.To further stress this, at least six to seven stories had been roughly outlined for each Empire god. For stories that had been clearly "modernized," footnotes were going to be at the bottom of certain stories, describing how the tale was originally/commonly told in that god's native land (i.e., Adraksh and North America) and how the original empire storytellers agreed on a different telling. There were also going to be footnotes for stories that had simply naturally brought in other elements over the course of time.I was actually going to consult Scarflash and other admins over the most commonly mentioned Roman gods that the Hunters would believe in, and give short summaries for each one and what they stood for along with outside links being cited for people who wanted to learn more.Legendary feline companions were being sketched and conceptualized for Diyana/Athena and Apollo; not as feline gods, but simply companions of those two gods that the hunters would have stories of just as a symbolic solidification of their bond with, and dependence on, humans.Adraksh's story for his mastery of lightning had been fully outlined.Aether's story for his mastery over air was fully outlined.Aurelia's story was first outlined, then written out, and then because I wanted to submit it as the last origin story to be told, I decided to make it special by turning it into 6 illustrated pages, which in fact, have been finished in the last couple of months.To celebrate all this reveal of new information, I was going to hold a group-wide event. Garen was going to leave Fire Empire with two member-owned cats of his choosing, and visit each of the other empires in turn, politely asking to stay for a few days and learn each empire's stories and lore in an effort to rekindle the lost and mostly forgotten tales (as an in-character explanation for why much of this had not been known beforehand). I was going to make sure that this plot got started in early April, around the same time that I was retiring.Two member owned cats from each empire would be allowed to travel with Garen to any other empires he was going visit. These cats would be responsible for sharing their own empire's stories with rival cats, and memorizing the information and lore they would be hearing in turn.The event was also going to involve releasing the various outlines and summaries I'd made for the lesser tales, and having a contest among members on the best detailed retelling of those tales. The contest would also allow people to make up completely new lore stories instead, and have their cat credited for sharing that story.A similar event was going to be held for the Hunters concerning Athena/Apollo and their two cat-friend-pets.There was going to be a whole plot involved with Lightning Empire. Eumenide wasn't going to allow Garen to enter her territory or speak with any of her cats. Therefore, the two Lightning cats to be involved in this event were going to have to rebel against their leader. Once they heard about a cat who'd been looking for storytellers to revive Adraksh's legends, they would either have to sneak out of camp and track Garen's team down, make a stink about it and angrily run out of the territory in a huff, or anything else the members in question could have come up with; making them perhaps the most courageous members of Garen's makeshift party.After this event reached its course, Garen would make an announcement at the next gathering inviting anyone who was curious to join him and his band of storytellers at Sator's Gift for the next week or so to share and orally record these stories, officially allowing anyone from the empires to join in on this one.After this, I was going to make a request to the admins that this be further explored in the next round of assignments, encouraging anyone who was babysitting cubs or who even had apprentices to educate, to share these stories.Garen was going to attempt to make a tradition of sharing stories and overall having fun at the end of each gathering.I'm sorry to say this to those of you who were looking forward to what I had planned for the group, but in light of recent events, I have decided that I no longer wish to maintain the EBC lore. What information I've stated here, the current admins of EBC can do with it whatever they wish.
The group I remember and the group I slaved away on this project for was a much different one than the group I was exposed to this week. These ideas were conceptualized at a time when I, myself, was a much different person. Every visit to EBC was one filled with joy and zeal and inspiration, every idea I had was fueled by the enjoyment I had in the group and the love I had for the community. I felt dedicated and ready for anything. And most importantly, I felt like a human being. Like people saw me as a human being instead of just a username with an avatar and a group rank that enticed resentment and dislike just because of the "admin" nametag on my metaphorical shirt.
Over time, I have slowly come to the realization that this was a shockingly one-sided outlook on things. Either the EBC I'd fallen in love with has faded with time, or it never existed and the friendly community I'd thought it was, was all just in my head. Both are equally depressing thoughts, so I don't care to think much on which one is right. All I do know is this; I don't have the spirit to continue providing content for EBC. I genuinely appreciate the kind words that were said in the journal and in the EBC feedback doc-- genuinely-- but after so long, I guess it just wasn't enough.
Believe me, I gave this some serious thought over the past few days. The lore of the empire gods was something I'd held close to my heart and had a lot of passion for, but the seething resentment I've seen in the group has slowly chipped away at that inspiration with every passing month. I really thought the crap days of 2015 were behind me, so realizing that I had not yet woken up from this nightmare of endless cycles was a huge part of my final choice. I cannot tolerate this treatment any longer and I cannot tolerate how my friends and fellow admins have been treated.
But as a last act of dedication I have decided to share with you what I had for Aurelia. Because I simply worked too hard on those six measly pages to let them rot in my stash. The original plan was to submit them only after Adraksh and Aether's stories were posted up, but with the way things are going now I don't see the point anymore.
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Now With That Said:
I will be removing most of my EBC cats by the end of 2016, if not sooner.
Therefore, if your cat had any ties to mine or had things you wish they could have discussed with my character, I am more than happy to hear you out and talk stuff out with you. I never liked leaving with loose ends and leaving people hanging. That is something I will not practice, especially after having experienced it firsthand. And I am not pulling out right away. I can assure you that we have at least until the end of April to get stuff sorted out, maybe even later if more time is needed to provide closure for everyone.
Cynthia is going to be donated to Lightning Empire as a den mother.
Evander (as well as Ayanna) is also going to be donated as a den parent for Shadow Empire. The admin staff will have license to kill them off after one to two years, IF they feel it's necessary and if people start to harass them about playing favorites. I don't want them to go through what I did.
EDIT::: After discussing with a couple of the admins it has been agreed that making these two NPCs would not be fair to the community. They will stay in as technically "active" characters, being maintained with minimal completed ACs until it's a good time for me to take them out.
Crispus will be going on a journey to try and track down Elektra and Kota, possibly Penelope if she winds up being captured too. I'm not sure yet if he'll be successful in finding anyone.
After Avita's death, Nero will be convinced that Air Empire is just not a good place for him to be. Too many bad things have happened and he doesn't want to cause any more. He'll be sneaking out.
Prisca will remain as an occasional presence in Massilia. She still lives in the city, but Master's business has gotten well... busier (lol) and he needs his cats for traveling protection much more often now, meaning that they won't be able to remain in the Hunters program. So anyone with ties to her shouldn't have to worry too much.
For anyone with characters attached to Garen I don't want you to panic just yet. I'll be keeping him for a while more, and will probably only reconsider removing him once Brutus dies, Rylan disappears, any other additional deaths etc. However, his interactions will be strictly with his family and cats he currently considers friends, because guess what? I'm just a member now, and I'm no longer obligated to prove to a community that my characters are free-for-alls in socializing.
Please note me if you have any IC concerns or interactions that you'd like to discuss.
Any final words of animosity, offense, or the like will be ignored and duly responded in whichever way I choose. And by that I mean flat out ignoring you. You already gave us your two-cents. It's only fair I give mine.
So with that said, I hereby renounce myself from all EBC admin duties. I will no longer be handling notes, answering questions, or doing anything for the lore. I and all former admins retain the rights to what lore we created for the group.
I'm sorry to do this, especially when so many people had emotional ties to these characters. But hopefully, someday you'll understand where I was coming from... and I pray you don't learn it the hard way.
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