#(she was like 10 moons old at the start and i'm pretty sure cats can be weaned at like 2 moons so-)

[puppypaw-wc]

love the clangen clan i made last night. i say clan but with the lore i came up with for them they're just a bunch of loners in a group together who were former kittypets/rogues or loners who decided to join/that kinda stuff. using a mod (kind of mod???) someone in the discord made that just gives the cats rogue/loner/kittypet names.

i love all the kitties i started with and the lore i made for them my favorites are probably buddy (she's a daylight warrior p much and also one of the medics. and the only medic as of the last moon, rip alder- she likes rambling about twoleg stuff :3), ripple and shep (bonded pair of former kittypets who were abandoned by their twolegs 😔 seemingly. no one's sure they were babies so-), mitzi and snowbell (their lore's not super exciting but they be lesbians and i love them. also mitzi kept killing ripple i literally had to lower her hate for him in the game files because otherwise she'd just kill him no matter how many times i reset-). here's the forum post for them for anyone who's in the discord server, i love these silly kitties v much. :3

[mallowstep]

Questions about the bands/loner culture because I'm loving this AU already!

Is it normal for them to visit family that have, say, decided to become housekeepers or denizens in the city/elsewhere during the circuit? What is the interpersonal/social structure of an individual band like? What sort of names do bands call themselves, & is it a common/widespread knowledge, or more of a you-know-them-if-youve-met-them kind of thing? Also, when queens of different groups have kitted, is there ever any quarreling between them since toms tend to be threatening/violent toward kits that are not their own? Are there any bands who are sworn enemies or otherwise hostile toward each other, & how are these conflicts sorted out? Are new bands only started by mates, or could one be started by close friends, or littermates, for example? Do circuits ever change after they've been settled? Sorry if any of my wording is unclear, and for all the questions at once, I'm just so curious!

no no thank u so much for asking, do not apologize <3

is it normal to visit (non-wandering) kin?

as long as they live on the circuit! and most kin who leave a band are going to settle within visiting range of the circuit.

kin is really important to wanderers. let's say, hypothetically, lion stays in thunderclan, and holly and jay return to leaf and crow. (i'm not saying that's what's going to happen, to be clear.)

lion is going to bring his kits to meet with his kin every year when they're near clan territory, because they're going to want to meet them.

some cats are going to settle outside of visiting radius and not have any interest in making the yearly/biannual/what-have-you trip to meet with kin, and some leave the band because they don't want to be with their kin. sometimes circuits change, and the kin ties aren't strong enough, etc.

but in general, wanderers make a big effort to stay in touch.

what is the social structure of a band?

depends on the size of the band, the length of the circuit, and the band's history.

for small, kin-based bands (like leafcrow, rosemary&co), bands are, well, familial in structure. younger cats are expected to listen to older cats, but the general structure is very egalitarian.

(in general, bands are egalitarian, but i digress.)

the larger a band gets, the more formal things get, i suppose?

like, okay, if you have 5 cats, you don't really need to worry about distributing prey. if you have 20 cats, well, maybe you need to manage that.

one reason a cat might not get along with a band is because of the communal aspect of it. even though wanderers are generally accepting, that doesn't mean they're perfect. not everyone is cut out for that kind of mutual living structure, and sometimes it can be a toxic environment.

(for example, if one cat is bullying another, the band's response might lean towards "both sides reconciling," which isn't, like, a great response. and you're in a limited environment with very few cats. it happens, and unfortunately, the usual result is the harassed party leaving the band.)

what do bands call themselves and each other?

while some bands have names (like the sisters), most consider themselves a family. so if they absolutely need to identify themselves with some kind of title, it's going to be affiliated with the leader. leaf's family, rosemary's family, etc.

larger bands are more likely to have a title, naturally. these tend to be short, and associated with the founding. but i'd actually imagine there might be multiple groups that call themselves the sisters.

and this isn't common knowledge. you know who the bands you cross are, and you might hear about the bands they cross, but you don't know further than that.

so like. leaf and crow run into a band they cross on the way to the clan territory. let's say...heather.

heather might tell leaf, "oh, i heard sheep, you know, red's sheep, was staying in the old house by the river, the one with the dogs."

leaf can then pass that knowledge on to red when she sees her in the...summer? i'm not sure when they meet. but heather might not know red personally, just has met sheep, and sheep commented on red, and heather passes the news on so that leaf can pass it on.

did that make sense?

i hope that made sense.

(unrelated, but yes, you usually are going to introduce yourself as such. "leaf's holly, jay, and lion" etc.)

typically, though, bands refer to each other by where and when they cross. yes, that does make it very hard to know who they're talking about when you interact with different circuits. wanderers don't really care.

they don't see themselves as having overarching structure. there is no central meeting: yes, multiple bands do winter in the city, but plenty don't. there are like, multiple warm places.

what happens when multiple queens (in different bands) kit in the same place?

it depends. usually, they try to make their camp far away from each other. it doesn't even have to be far on human terms: a mile is plenty. maybe even less, depending on the type of territory.

and yes, this is one of the main causes of fighting between bands. they try to avoid the situation, but queens are very territorial. toms usually can't even get close enough to feel violent.

(leaf, being raised a clan cat, feels more comfortable around outside toms. but glass tries to stay out of the barn when the kits are young.)

the first step at resolution is for the leaders to negotiate. if a peaceful resolution can't be raised, then there will be a lot of posturing. cats are cowards, they don't want to actually fight.

an actual fight is the worst case scenario, and that leads into the next question.

are there feuds between bands, and how do those work?

there are feuds and grudges, but...they're usually pretty weak. see, if you cross with a band you don't get along with, it's fairly easy to avoid them.

more common is grudges built up over the winter, for bands who stay in the city, and feuds with colonies that take issue with the bands crossing their territory.

that said, if two bands come to a fight, they're going to have bad blood for a long time. wanderers tell stories, after all.

what's basically going to happen is that they're going to snap at each other about who should have to change their circuit every time they cross, and grumble about it before and after.

other bands are going to stay out of it. hard.

because they're a peaceful people. (cat?)

the feud is Bad, you see. and wanderers are not great at solving problems. they just want everyone to get along and smooth over the problem without actually resolving it. the problem is, when bands actually feud, they're not feuding for petty reasons.

now. now. the other thing that does happen is.

kits in the city/other gathering places. (i focus on the city + winter because that's where leaf and crow are, but there are other places.)

okay, so there's this passage in the beginning of the golden compass about the political structure of the kids and their colleges, and i cannot possibly express what an impact that has had on me.

but. kits feud like hell. they're in a relatively tight space for two or three moons, they have petty fights and wars and alliances and all sorts of drama.

these are usually related to their bands (e.g., rosemary and leaf are close bands), but not always. littermates stick together.

they even can get into "banding together in the face of a common enemy" if like, full-time city cat kits decide to cause trouble.

these don't usually last year to year, but they can.

fadslj winter in the city is the closest thing wanderers have to any kind of reunion moment, and it's like. it's quite territorial, honestly. bands tend to stick in their Area. by their nature, wanderers aren't interested in big groups and setting down roots. so they tend to keep to themselves more than usual.

after all, seeing family friends you see every year is different from going on a long vacation for two months or so with them.

how are new bands started?

while most new bands are started by mates, it's not the only way for them to get started.

i suppose, actually. bands aren't started by mates. a splinter group is usually pushed to break off by a pair of mates.

the "standard" formula is as such:

cat 1 from band A becomes mates with cat 2 from band B. cat 2 joins band A. cat 1 is expecting, and gets ready to nest, but tells the rest of the band to keep moving. other cats, typically close friends or littermates, stay.

the other standard formula is for littermates to form a band during their year voyage. i'd say it's maybe 60 way one, 30 way two, and 10 other.

(that said, it's usually during their year voyage that cats start to think about breaking off.)

there's no wrong reason to form a splinter band, it's just that, unless kits are involved, most splinter bands are going to function more as like. an auxiliary group that weaves in and out of the other circuit.

wanderers are creatures of habit.

do circuits ever change?

they change a lot in small ways. wanderers tend to make the same detours every trip, which is why older bands tend to have longer circuits. and older bands tend to be larger. hence larger = longer.

they can also change suddenly if something happens. like, say, a territory dispute during a nesting time (when a band settles down for a queen to kit), or a colony getting testy (like in tallstar's revenge, and squirrelflight's hope).

wanderers tend not to make major changes to their circuit (for no strong reason) after they're established, but it does happen.

the other thing is that a there-and-back circuit can flip into a loop circuit, or vice versa. basically, a there-and-back circuit starts to take a path on the "other side" of their territory, which widens over time, until they're in a loop.

in the other direction, the loop slowly narrows until it's a flat line.

all sorts of things can happen here, from forming cul-de-saqs to making detours to see kin. the one thing that doesn't happen often is "taking a shortcut." wanderers usually add to their circuit. they don't have anywhere to be, after all.

if i missed something, let me know! thank you for the questions, this was a lot of fun to answer.

[the-art-of-styles]

Ping-Pong

✧ Aylin and Harry go out to sell some jams and come back to a disaster in one of their homes.

Word count: 1783

Warnings: short mention of eating disorder/disordered eating/calories

Part I

Part II (you’re here!)

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

14

   Mrs. Mendes is an old woman, she has lines of love around her eyes and lips that show how happy she was throughout her life, also on her forehead, showing how she was amazed by even the tiniest things that were introduced to her.

   She has lived her entire life in the village, and everyone knows her for her exquisite blackberry jams. Aylin's mom used to buy her 2 mason jars every month for her daughter to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, until Aylin was 10 years old and she stopped.

   "No more, Aylin, you've been gaining a lot of weight. A lot of calories, few wasted."

   Those words had consequences, at the tough and young age of 11, Aylin entered a diet low in carbs and fats, where she lost a lot of weight, but from so much restriction, she began a cycle of sometimes bingeing where she couldn't stop to eat for all that she could not taste.

   For all that she could not live.

   At just eleven.

Eleven years old.

   Already at twelve she had somewhat overcome her eating disorder, according to her mother, she was still a bit chubby, but Aylin was always a strong woman, and when she looked in the mirror she wondered, what was so bad about not being thin?

   She loved food, and didn't think about going back to that hell she went through for months. Fuck the diet.

   Mrs. Mendes walked through the only green park in town until she sat down on a yellow bench and took out of her bag some bread crumbs to give to the pigeons that were listening to human affairs. Aylin was walking her dog, Luna, she has no breed and she rescued her from the street when she was about to be run over. Well, she didn't rescue her, a man who had the necklace of a moon saved her and gave her to Aylin as she witnessed all of it (crying). He did not live there and didn't have the time or the space to have a pet, so there she is, walking her new best friend until she sees the old woman and her heart warms and a smile emanates from her lips.

   "Mrs. Mendes!" She screamed and began to jog with Luna until she reached the old woman, she looked at her and her eyes narrowed at her smile.

   "Oh Aylin dear, you look so big!"

   "Yep, I'm 5'1 now, almost 5'2! Isn't that incredible? I'm going to be so big."

   "I'm sure you will honey. Who's that?"

   After Aylin told her the whole story, the two talked about different things while feeding crumbs to the pigeons who listened attentively to their conversation.

   "Hey darling, you know I sell jams right?" Mrs. Mendes suddenly said, making Aylin look at her smiling.

   "Of course! The most exquisite in the whole town!"

   The woman smiled flattered, "Oh cut it. . . Anyways, in my house I have many done, raspberry, blackberry—"

   "I love the blackberry one!" The little interrupted without thinking, instantly embarrassed to do so. "Sorry. . . continue."

   Mrs. Mendes just laughed, "It doesn't matter. Well, uh, what was I saying? Ah! Yes! So, I don't have a way to sell them, you know, I'm an old lady and I can't go from house to house delivering so I was wondering if you—"

   "Oh god! Can I go deliver the jams? It would be amazing! I would wear white and I would go with a brown basket that I have on my bike and– Ah!" Aylin squealed with excitement, "I could go with Harry! He's my friend, even though he lied to me. . . but I already forgave him, the Smiths adopted him, the house across from mine. Oh yeah, can I, please?"

   Mrs. Mendes got confused every time she spoke to Aylin, she always talked a lot and very fast and changed the subject all the time, but she liked her, she liked that she was fast and not slow, it made her feel young.

   If only that speed so characteristic of hers had remained.

   "Yes, darling, you can. And I'd like to meet this Harry boy."

   "Oh, you'll love him! I love him, he's my best friend."

.

.

.

   "No."

   "Pleaseeeeeeeee!"

   "I really don't feel like selling jams."

   "But it's so nice! People will be so happy! And you'd meet so many people from this town. Harryyyyyy!"

   Harry sometimes feels very exasperated when he’s with Aylin. She always tries to involve him in things of the town; recreational activities, meetings, whatever, but even though the Smiths have kept him and a part of him begins to really believe that this family will be forever, he can't help but not want to get too fond of living there because at this point he doesn't think his heart could bear to bleed in pain once more.

   But anyway, he likes that Aylin is like that, so persistent with him since it's not something that he has lived in his life, they always get bored of him and never look for him, he is the one doing it, but now he is different and the feeling that brings him makes him fall asleep at night.

   Puppy eyes. "Please, Harry?"

   He just rolled his eyes, irritated with himself because he knew exactly what the next word would be that would slide off his tongue in a harsh way, but she would eat it anyway. "Fine."

   She squealed, he groaned.

.

.

.

   "Thank you so much, kids. I missed this jams, and say thank you for my part to Mrs. Mendes, ya?" A woman in her forties with black hair waved them off at the door of her house, exchanging the money for the jams.

   "We sure will! See you!"

   They have been selling since twelve in the morning, now the sky was burning and the clouds too, the cold was beginning to descend and there were fewer and fewer people in the streets and more in their homes. The treetops danced to the sweet whispers of the wind, Aylin joining them on the empty streets.

   "Wasn't that so fun?! We selled everything, we should get into business when we grow up, don't you think, H?"

   "Yeah sure," he replied sarcastically. Aylin always notices the comments that Harry makes and when some are real and when they are not, she is not stupid, she just ignores them because she knows that deep down he must like part of the things they do, because otherwise, he would have left her long ago. Besides, that makes her feel better, she doesn't like to think that she bores people, especially when she knows that it is something real, something that has been said to her face.

   Honestly, Harry must admit that it wasn't a total torture. Hearing Aylin talk so much is fun to him, she always has an opinion on something, and she is always in awe of things that she sees every day.

   Actually, Harry likes Aylin. Not in a romantic way, he knows about feelings and everything, he even knows about porn, but he has never seen her that way and he doesn't think he will ever see her like that. It's not that she's not pretty, he finds her quite cute, but it's just a friendship for him.

   His first friendship.

   As they turned to get to the street where their houses are, the two noticed the great fight in one of them.

   Harry stopped walking, and Aylin kept doing it.

   Her mother was throwing an open suitcase on the head of her father, who fell to the ground and began to pick up his things at full speed while she insulted him.

   At that point, Aylin started running.

   "Mum! Dad! What – what is going on?!" She squealed in concern, walking over to her dad and squatting next to him to make sure he's okay. "Why do you have a suitcase? Where are you going?"

   "He'll go fuck his assistant, that's for sure!" The mother screamed with hatred, regardless of the language she spoke in front of two children or whoever was listening (and there were several people).

   "His assistant? But, what? Mr. Gomez?" Aylin asked extremely confused with her eyebrows furrowing.

   "Exactly." She spit out to her husband and turned around on her own heels, dragging her feet into the house and slamming the door that almost made the whole town rumble.

   "D-dad?" Aylin asked with her eyes swimming in a sea of tears, but she didn't allow her cheeks to turn into rivers.

   "I'm so sorry, baby. I really am." The father composed himself and stood up, giving his daughter a long kiss on the forehead and then walking with suitcase in hand and head down, like the end of a movie where there is a climax where you think everything will be fine but in the outcome it all goes to shit and they lose everything.

   "Wha– Where are you–" She sighed, her father far enough away not to hear her, "...going." She whispered, feeling a crack form in her heart that hurt like a hundred stabs dipped in the hottest lava of the worst hell.

   Harry was at a safe distance, but he heard everything and saw everything as did some neighbors looking out in their windows to feed the curious cat without risking death. He understood everything and had a knot in his stomach from seeing his friend without life in her eyes, and being so painfully slow.

   What a plot twist. He was gay. The dad, of course.

   Aylin sat dejectedly on the edge of the sidewalk, staring at the grayish of the street without knowing what she was thinking about. She is always thinking, she is always saying something, but now there is nothing in her mind, white paint fell on the canvas and there are no more available brushes to paint on top of it.

   The curly boy did not know what to do, he is not a person of a lot of words, and besides, what do you say to someone in a situation like this? "I'm sorry your dad is gay." Sounds a bit homophobic. So he chose to approach slowly as he usually does, he has always been slow, and although sometimes Aylin is exasperated that he sees everything and does everything in slow motion, deep down he conveyed a certain tranquility that she could not create by herself. Harry sat next to her and rubbed her back.

   He didn't knew if she was crying or not, but he wasn't going to ask anything either, so he just sat with her while she hurt.

   And he wished that swiftness of hers had never gone away.

[a-singleboat]

So this is a lot but 1-100 on the get to me uncomfortably well asks? (I'm genuinely curious)

You asked for it... 

note; some questions I answered no to so I crossed them off to save some space

What is your middle name?

Sabrina

How old are you?

17

When is your birthday?

November 30

What is your zodiac sign?

Sagittarius

What is your favorite color?

Currently, rose gold

What’s your lucky number?

3

Do you have any pets?

No, but I recently went to a cat cafe and I want a cat now. 

Where are you from?

Massachusetts 

How tall are you?

5’3

What shoe size are you?

7 or 7.5, depending on the brand

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

About 10 pairs, give or take. I’m not sure on the actual amount.

What was your last dream about?

My last dream was about me losing my crocs in an airport. I was devastated. 

What talents do you have?

I can sing, dance, write, act, stage manage, and throw a flag pretty well.

Are you psychic in any way?

With my best friend, yes. We think the same way so it’s not that hard to know what she’s thinking. 

Favorite song?

I can give you the last song I listened to which is Location because I don’t have a favorite song at the moment. 

Favorite movie?

The Farewell, which is actually really good for a limited release film.

Who would be your ideal partner?

Celebrity wise? Zendaya

Do you want children?

Maybe one or two, but I feel like I’d end up adopting more than giving birth.

Do you want a church wedding?

Are you religious?

Have you ever been to the hospital?

Not outside of my birth and visits.

Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

No, but funny story. I kicked water onto a man when I was younger and I thought the cops were gonna come for me.

Have you ever met any celebrities?

No, but I saw Sam Smith at London Pride and Chris Evans in a chinese restaurant by where I live.

Baths or showers?

Showers

What color socks are you wearing?

I’m not wearing any, so flesh colored? 

Have you ever been famous?

Not that I know of.

Would you like to be a big celebrity?

Maybe a celebrity in the sense that people have just heard my name. I’m fine living with a few hundred followers to read what I write for now.

What type of music do you like?

I like listening to more musicals and whatever genre Walk the Moon is.

Have you ever been skinny dipping?

Yes, once.

How many pillows do you sleep with?

3

What position do you usually sleep in?

Like on my stomach with one leg hitched up over a pillow. 

How big is your house?

Average sized? It’s the smallest of the three on my street that was built with the exact same layout at the same time. 

What do you typically have for breakfast?

I don’t really eat breakfast but I love honey bunches of oats. 

Have you ever fired a gun?

Have you ever tried archery?

Yes

Favorite clean word?

Origin 

Favorite swear word?

Can it be a string of swear words? Because I like “bitch ass hoe” a lot.

What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 

2 days

Do you have any scars? 

Yes, one on my right hand and two on my left leg.

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

I don’t think so, I never really think about if I do either.

Are you a good liar?

I like to think that I am

Are you a good judge of character?

I would say yes because the last two people I met, I felt like we’re horrible and I was right 

Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Do you have a strong accent?

No, but I do have a Boston accent when I’m angry.

What is your favorite accent?

I love British accents or Australian 

What is your personality type?

INFP-T

What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

$35 vintage jacket that I used in a musical and now wear whenever I can. 

Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

Are you an innie or an outie?

innie

Left or right-handed?

Right

Are you scared of spiders?

Sometimes, if I’m not expecting them

Favorite food?

I have a lot of favorites.

Favorite foreign food?

Mayo walnut shrimp 

Are you a clean or messy person?

I want to be clean but I know I’m messy.

Most used phrased?

bitch ass hoe

Most used word?

I actually don’t know, probably “I”

How long does it take for you to get ready?

like 15 minutes 

Do you have much of an ego?

Not really, i don’t like boasting or seeming cocky 

Do you suck or bite lollipops?

suck

Do you talk to yourself?

Yes

Do you sing to yourself?

Yes

Are you a good singer?

I like to think so and my friends also think so

Biggest Fear?

being left alone

Are you a gossip?

depends on the person

Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

i don’t really watch a lot of dramatic movies

Do you like long or short hair?

short on girls, long on guys but personally, short on myself

Can you name all 50 states of America?

Favorite school subject?

English 

Extrovert or Introvert?

omnivert

Have you ever been scuba diving?

yes

What makes you nervous?

heights and ladybugs

Are you scared of the dark?

yes

Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

sometimes

Are you ticklish?

yes

Have you ever started a rumor?

Have you ever been in a position of authority?

yes

Have you ever drank underage?

technically no, it was legal where i was drinking 

Have you ever done drugs?

Who was your first real crush?

I honestly don’t remember, the last time I had a crush was in middle school and I’m now a high school graduate.

How many piercings do you have?

i have my standard ear piercings

Can you roll your Rs?

How fast can you type?

depends, i can usually type faster if i have the idea running through my head

How fast can you run?

not very

What color is your hair?

currently pink, naturally a really dark brown

What color are your eyes?

dark brown

What are you allergic to?

strawberry banana kiwi smoothies and mosquitoes 

Do you keep a journal?

i used to, i wrote a speech off one of my journal entries which you can find in my masterlist as a dear future me type of thing

What do your parents do?

my mum is a tax project manager and my dad is a mortgage/realtor 

Do you like your age?

yeah, for the most part

What makes you angry?

when people try to argue with me when i know i have my facts down

Do you like your own name?

i used to not like it

Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

if you find my wattpad, any name i use for an OC is a possibility

Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

both? it really wouldn’t matter

What are your strengths?

i’m really good at staying on track when i have a mission

What are your weaknesses?

i’m really lazy

How did you get your name?

my dad was going to name me and it was originally going to be sabrina annabelle but my mum liked it the other way around

Were your ancestors royalty?

Do you have any scars?

I already answered this so I’ll say my most recent bruise is from my flag pole hitting my forearm. 

Color of your bedspread?

pink, my choice 

Color of your room?

also pink, not my choice