Post by Aphelyon on Feb 15, 2018 18:39:16 GMT -5
S u m m e r C l a n
P r o u d & S t r o n g
History of the Clans
The origins of the four Clans of the Seasons is lost to history, though there are many stories revolving around their founders, four sisters named Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Some cats say that there used to be no seasons, or else that the seasons had no order and were in constant chaos. Legend has it that the four sisters created the Clans to bring order and balance to the seasons, so that things could grow and die in the proper cycle that keeps life flowing.
Of course, most cats know that these are likely just stories, though it is generally accepted that Winterstar, Springstar, Summerstar, and Autumnstar did exist. Many cats also hold the superstition that if the Clans are thrown out of balance, so will be the seasons; or, perhaps the opposite, and the Clans rely on their respective seasons to survive. Regardless, the cats of the Season Clans hold much respect for the power of the seasons, and the cycle of life that they uphold and represent.
Still.... not every cat has the same respect for tradition. A darkness has been growing in the hearts of some of the Clan cats, cats who look to expand their territory and power, to throw the Clans and seasons out of balance. Will these cats be stopped, and tradition upheld, or will the cycle, and the fate of the Clans, be changed forever?
Of course, most cats know that these are likely just stories, though it is generally accepted that Winterstar, Springstar, Summerstar, and Autumnstar did exist. Many cats also hold the superstition that if the Clans are thrown out of balance, so will be the seasons; or, perhaps the opposite, and the Clans rely on their respective seasons to survive. Regardless, the cats of the Season Clans hold much respect for the power of the seasons, and the cycle of life that they uphold and represent.
Still.... not every cat has the same respect for tradition. A darkness has been growing in the hearts of some of the Clan cats, cats who look to expand their territory and power, to throw the Clans and seasons out of balance. Will these cats be stopped, and tradition upheld, or will the cycle, and the fate of the Clans, be changed forever?
About SummerClan
SummerClan is the Clan which represents the season of summer. Cats from this Clan are often viewed as being lazy and vain to the point of arrogance, a stereotype which is actually fairly accurate. As the season of relaxation and plenty, SummerClan cats tend to be rather complacent and lazy in demeanor- they won't do anything they don't have to, or don't want to. That's not to say that they don't find purpose in hunting or fighting for their Clan, but they'd much rather be lazing around in the sun or playing in the water. More so than all the other Clans, SummerClan cats also tend to be vain, and somewhat shallow. Appearances matter in SummerClan- not only in being well-groomed, or having impressive skills, but also one's natural physical appearance. Cats who are "beautiful" tend to be valued more, and cats who are considered "unattractive" will often be picked on by their Clanmates to some degree, and may find it more difficult to find a mate, if not altogether impossible. Of course, the Clan's perception of "beauty" is entirely subjective, and what they might value does not mean that a cat would not be found beautiful somewhere else.
Physically, SummerClan cats are the largest out of any in the Clans. They are large, well-muscled, and have large paws and handsome features. Their fur tends to be short and sleek, as it needs to be to shed water, since SummerClan cats often like to swim. Their pelts are often vibrant browns, often reddish or golden- not just a plain, soil brown, which they consider "boring." They may also come in "fancier" colors, like white, silver, or black, but these are less common. Their pelts tend to be spotted with rosettes, like a leopard, and this trait is perhaps their most valued, and is practically unique the Clan. Cats who are not spotted like this are certainly considered less beautiful. All in all, SummerClan cats tend to strongly resemble the Bengal breed, and can likely trace their lineages back to purebred kittypets of this breed (though they probably wouldn't try, nor admit they were descended from kittypets). Cats with scars or deformities are also seen as less beautiful, as are cats who fall outside the "normal" range of traits, such as cats who are especially small, or have unusually long tails or large ears, and the like, or who represent traits stereotypical of other Clans.
Physically, SummerClan cats are the largest out of any in the Clans. They are large, well-muscled, and have large paws and handsome features. Their fur tends to be short and sleek, as it needs to be to shed water, since SummerClan cats often like to swim. Their pelts are often vibrant browns, often reddish or golden- not just a plain, soil brown, which they consider "boring." They may also come in "fancier" colors, like white, silver, or black, but these are less common. Their pelts tend to be spotted with rosettes, like a leopard, and this trait is perhaps their most valued, and is practically unique the Clan. Cats who are not spotted like this are certainly considered less beautiful. All in all, SummerClan cats tend to strongly resemble the Bengal breed, and can likely trace their lineages back to purebred kittypets of this breed (though they probably wouldn't try, nor admit they were descended from kittypets). Cats with scars or deformities are also seen as less beautiful, as are cats who fall outside the "normal" range of traits, such as cats who are especially small, or have unusually long tails or large ears, and the like, or who represent traits stereotypical of other Clans.
Roleplay Rules
The rules in this roleplay are pretty straightforward, and mainly common sense. Still, I would appreciate it if you would at least skim through in case there's anything you missed/might not have thought about.
First, use common sense, as always. Don't spam, don't be rude, don't troll, don't use mary-sues, don't kit-steal, don't control/place/trap other peoples' characters (without permission), don't spotlight (ie, causing drama revolving around your character for the sake of causing drama/drawing unnecessary attention to them), don't powerplay (essentially, refusing to lose/fail even if you reasonably should), etc. The normal stuff. If you need clarification on any of those rules, feel free to ask either on this thread, or to PM me.
Next is literacy. I'm not usually super strict about literacy in Clan roleplays, but there is a certain basic standard which has to be met or the roleplay will fall apart. My rules on this are pretty simple.
- First of all, make sure your posts are coherent. This means good spelling and grammar at the very least- doesn't have to be perfect (I really don't care that much if you use the wrong than/then as long as we know what you're saying) but it has to be easily legible. On the other hand, this also means using words/phrasings/structure that a regular person can be reasonably expected to understand, and you should be able to say it fairly concisely. We don't need 2 sentences of big words to tell us that your character's eyes are blue. When you try too hard to be Shakespeare/Tolkien, it means that everyone has to take time and mental effort to to decipher what you're trying to say, which is the opposite of relaxing, which is what roleplaying should be.
- Secondly, post length should be reasonable. Your average should fall somewhere in the 1-5 decently-sized paragraphs range, in this case a "decent paragraph" being like, 3-5 sentences. You can certainly have outliers that are longer or shorter than this depending on the situation; however, if you normally write less than 3 or 4 sentences, or you generally write more than 4 or 5 paragraphs, you might need to adjust your style slightly for this roleplay.
- Finally, literacy also means knowing how to contribute to the roleplay. I don't care if you're not the most eloquent person in the universe, if you can't use the right your, or if you write a minimum one paragraph every post, as long as your characters are well thought-out and contribute to the plot in an interesting, engaging, and meaningful way. Inversely, you could be actual Shakespeare in terms of verbage but if your characters don't actually do anything, develop, or go anywhere, if you don't contribute to the plot and the story and the world, then you are not going to be enjoyable to roleplay with.
And of course, there's the ever-present issue of activity. I don't like to give a strict "you have to be on this much within this time period" rule because, well, stuff happens. You get busy, I get busy, the roleplay lags, it happens. So as long as you post enough for your characters to remain appropriately relevant for their ranks and role in the rp, that's good enough for me. So, obviously, characters like leaders and medicine cats should be pretty available, while kits and apprentices might not need to be on as much. If the roleplay is going slow but steady, you don't need to be on as much; if it's going fast, you should try to make enough time to be on so as not to become lost or irrelevant. Use your best judgement, and if I feel like your activity is a problem, I'll say something to you directly, and give you a chance to explain things or fix it, before deleting you.
First, use common sense, as always. Don't spam, don't be rude, don't troll, don't use mary-sues, don't kit-steal, don't control/place/trap other peoples' characters (without permission), don't spotlight (ie, causing drama revolving around your character for the sake of causing drama/drawing unnecessary attention to them), don't powerplay (essentially, refusing to lose/fail even if you reasonably should), etc. The normal stuff. If you need clarification on any of those rules, feel free to ask either on this thread, or to PM me.
Next is literacy. I'm not usually super strict about literacy in Clan roleplays, but there is a certain basic standard which has to be met or the roleplay will fall apart. My rules on this are pretty simple.
- First of all, make sure your posts are coherent. This means good spelling and grammar at the very least- doesn't have to be perfect (I really don't care that much if you use the wrong than/then as long as we know what you're saying) but it has to be easily legible. On the other hand, this also means using words/phrasings/structure that a regular person can be reasonably expected to understand, and you should be able to say it fairly concisely. We don't need 2 sentences of big words to tell us that your character's eyes are blue. When you try too hard to be Shakespeare/Tolkien, it means that everyone has to take time and mental effort to to decipher what you're trying to say, which is the opposite of relaxing, which is what roleplaying should be.
- Secondly, post length should be reasonable. Your average should fall somewhere in the 1-5 decently-sized paragraphs range, in this case a "decent paragraph" being like, 3-5 sentences. You can certainly have outliers that are longer or shorter than this depending on the situation; however, if you normally write less than 3 or 4 sentences, or you generally write more than 4 or 5 paragraphs, you might need to adjust your style slightly for this roleplay.
- Finally, literacy also means knowing how to contribute to the roleplay. I don't care if you're not the most eloquent person in the universe, if you can't use the right your, or if you write a minimum one paragraph every post, as long as your characters are well thought-out and contribute to the plot in an interesting, engaging, and meaningful way. Inversely, you could be actual Shakespeare in terms of verbage but if your characters don't actually do anything, develop, or go anywhere, if you don't contribute to the plot and the story and the world, then you are not going to be enjoyable to roleplay with.
And of course, there's the ever-present issue of activity. I don't like to give a strict "you have to be on this much within this time period" rule because, well, stuff happens. You get busy, I get busy, the roleplay lags, it happens. So as long as you post enough for your characters to remain appropriately relevant for their ranks and role in the rp, that's good enough for me. So, obviously, characters like leaders and medicine cats should be pretty available, while kits and apprentices might not need to be on as much. If the roleplay is going slow but steady, you don't need to be on as much; if it's going fast, you should try to make enough time to be on so as not to become lost or irrelevant. Use your best judgement, and if I feel like your activity is a problem, I'll say something to you directly, and give you a chance to explain things or fix it, before deleting you.
The Warrior Code
Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle.
Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
Elders, queens, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders. If any warrior or apprentice is sick or injured, they may eat while the elders, queens, and kits are eating.
Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.
A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires or is exiled.
After the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.
A Gathering of all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.
Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.
The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.
An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.
A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.
Each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect the four. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall.
Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory.
Elders, queens, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders. If any warrior or apprentice is sick or injured, they may eat while the elders, queens, and kits are eating.
Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life.
A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice.
Newly appointed warriors will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their warrior name.
A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored at least one apprentice.
The deputy will become Clan leader when the leader dies, retires or is exiled.
After the death or retirement of the deputy, the new deputy must be chosen before moonhigh.
A Gathering of all four Clans is held at the full moon during a truce that lasts for the night. There shall be no fighting among Clans at this time.
Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.
No warrior can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if the kit is from a different Clan.
The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.
An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win their battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or if it is necessary for self-defense.
A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.
Each Clan has the right to be proud and independent, but in times of trouble they must forget their boundaries and fight side by side to protect the four. Each Clan must help the others so that no Clan will fall.
Links
AutumnClan
WinterClan
SpringClan
The Gathering Place
StarClan
The Dark Forest
WinterClan
SpringClan
The Gathering Place
StarClan
The Dark Forest
Territory & Camp
SummerClan's territory is located in the southwestern shore of the lake. It borders AutumnClan to the east and SpringClan to the north, and the Twolegplace to the west. Their territory is mostly forested, with the forests being open and mostly lacking foliage in the north near SpringClan's territory, but being more dense as one nears the AutumnClan border. A river flowing south out of the lake splits the territory in two, but this isn't a problem for the swimming SummerClan cats. SummerClan also claims the small island which sits in the lake, and this is where they make their camp. More than any of the other Clans, SummerClan comes in frequent contact with twolegs, mostly because twolegs seem to enjoy the lake during the warm moons just as much as the Clan does. There are quite a few landmarks- both natural and created by twolegs- which help to make SummerClan's territory unique.
- landmark
- landmark
- landmark
SummerClan's camp is located on a small island in the southern part of the lake, a small swim from the shore of their territory. The only way to reach the island is by swimming, and being able to swim from the island to the shore and back is something all kits must be able to do before they can become apprentices. The cats consider the entire island their camp, and for the most part, cats sleep and laze about wherever they want. However, there are designated dens where the cats will sleep at night or when it's cold, or rainy.
- the leader's den is a small cave in the rocks on the eastern side of the island. The leader makes announcements from atop these rocks, which are called the Lakestones.
- the warriors' den is under a group of bramble bushes near the north shore. The den is fairly open and can be easily accessed from any direction, but the branches still provide good cover from snow and rain.
- the apprentices' den is in a fallen log near the warriors' den, which protrudes partially into the water. The log is rotted through, making a fairly large space for apprentices to sleep, and they can play and fish on the trunk.
- the nursery is in the roots of the fallen tree, where they were torn out of the ground and form a sort of dome. The gaps between the roots have been packed with moss, twigs, and stones to keep the den well-insulated.
- the elders' den is on the western side of the island, in a twisted bush which grows against a couple of rocks similar to the Lakestones, giving the elders easy access to the water.
- the medicine den is on the southern part of the island, under a yew bush that grows between two closely-growing firs. The roots form good dips for nests, and a crack in one of the tree trunks makes a nice, dry place to store herbs.
- landmark
- landmark
- landmark
SummerClan's camp is located on a small island in the southern part of the lake, a small swim from the shore of their territory. The only way to reach the island is by swimming, and being able to swim from the island to the shore and back is something all kits must be able to do before they can become apprentices. The cats consider the entire island their camp, and for the most part, cats sleep and laze about wherever they want. However, there are designated dens where the cats will sleep at night or when it's cold, or rainy.
- the leader's den is a small cave in the rocks on the eastern side of the island. The leader makes announcements from atop these rocks, which are called the Lakestones.
- the warriors' den is under a group of bramble bushes near the north shore. The den is fairly open and can be easily accessed from any direction, but the branches still provide good cover from snow and rain.
- the apprentices' den is in a fallen log near the warriors' den, which protrudes partially into the water. The log is rotted through, making a fairly large space for apprentices to sleep, and they can play and fish on the trunk.
- the nursery is in the roots of the fallen tree, where they were torn out of the ground and form a sort of dome. The gaps between the roots have been packed with moss, twigs, and stones to keep the den well-insulated.
- the elders' den is on the western side of the island, in a twisted bush which grows against a couple of rocks similar to the Lakestones, giving the elders easy access to the water.
- the medicine den is on the southern part of the island, under a yew bush that grows between two closely-growing firs. The roots form good dips for nests, and a crack in one of the tree trunks makes a nice, dry place to store herbs.
Joining
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Rank:
Virtues: (excluding kits & apprentices)
Kin:
Appearance: (1-2 decent sentences)
Personality: (1-3 decent sentences)
History: (no more than 4 sentences)
Other:
Pic: (required; please choose clear photos with no clearly visible man-made objects, and make sure the image is a cat of appropriate age. If you don't want to find an image, I can find one for you.)
Gender:
Age:
Rank:
Virtues: (excluding kits & apprentices)
Kin:
Appearance: (1-2 decent sentences)
Personality: (1-3 decent sentences)
History: (no more than 4 sentences)
Other:
Pic: (required; please choose clear photos with no clearly visible man-made objects, and make sure the image is a cat of appropriate age. If you don't want to find an image, I can find one for you.)