KittiestofKatz wrote:Username: KittiestofKatz
Name: Ignite
Pronouns: He/Him
Story(No Word Limit): There was once a Flame, so bright and warm. Everyone loved it and would stay close to it. The Flame would speak its stories its heard from all the past visitors and past homes. Everyone enjoyed the stories and would listen to everyone, then tell their own for the Flame to continue on. Though, the Flame was in danger. A Storm, filled with hate and bitter cold, would darken the sky to find the flame. The Flame was unable to hide like it usually does and it was too late... The Storm found the sweet little flame and poured water on it till it was out forever... Once the Flame was gone, the Storm smiled and went away forever, leaving everyone sad and cold. The people went to the Flame, but saw it was gone. Out and never to return. The people grieved for the Flame, sad they will never hear the wonderful stories it always told. In honor of the Flame, they told the stories the flame told and then told their own, to keep the new ones going. Old and new, the stories continued, till a small tiny Flame came to light. Young and cheerful. It asked the nearest person for a story. The person told a story and the small Flame asked if it can tell it to everyone it meets. They smiled and nodded. And soon, everyone knew of the small Flame and went to it. They all sat around and told the small Flame a story. The Flame happily listened and would remember each one. And as the years go by, the small Flame grew and would tell stories to the new children and would listen to the new ones the adults would tell. Everyone was happy and everything was safe and sound.

||Who is Eros?||

Eros is a bit of a flaky individual once his first few layers are stripped away. To a casual observer however, he’s just a touch vain. He takes pride in looking well-dressed, so he frequently spends his mornings grooming his fur, and anyone in the vicinity becomes subjected to his more… overeager tendencies when it comes to personal beauty.

Not only that, but Eros is also flirtatious to a fault and has no inhibitions flaunting everything he has, as well as everything he thinks he might have. However, he loves putting a lighthearted spin on his teasings, so when they end up being brushed off for not being particularly serious, Eros simply follows suit. While his charms could easily become devastating if he put his heart into it, he prefers to let his flirtations be perceived as fun-spirited. He’s quick to bounce back from flippant rejection nowadays, so it’s not uncommon for him to be thrown for a loop when his advances are taken with more than a grain of salt. No matter how easily he can dish it out, he never seems to be able to take it considering how flustered he gets when his flirtations are returned.

Besides his tendency to try to entice any tom or molly he comes across, Eros is honestly a pretty goofy cat. He spends most of his time playing around or finding ways to make his day enjoyable. When he’s with another pet, he tries to extend the same sentiments by dragging them along, whether they seem to want it or not. There are definitely times where his enthusiasm isn’t well received, but he tries his best to tone it down so long as he hasn’t worked himself up beforehand.

Eros can become surprisingly dramatic when he gets impassioned about his loved ones or a complex task. He exaggerates his emotions only because he tends to feel very intensely when it comes to the somethings, or someones, he’s highly invested in. The love he has for his family overflows, but it can be tiring for someone unused to Eros’s more emphatic traits. When challenged, he becomes competitive and rarely settles with sitting on the sidelines in playful games. Though it’s uncommon for him to win, he crows his victory for everyone to hear whenever he actually does.

Eros never quite seems to be able to slow down once he gets going. He can be inexhaustible at times, and his innate stubbornness means that there’s not much that can stop him once he puts his mind to something. For such a non-threatening cat, he can be amazingly gutsy. It doesn’t help that he’s sometimes insensitive in his words and a bit crass, almost to the point of brazen; so, while he loves to lay on the charm, he still somehow manages to piss other pets off with a tongue-in-cheek comment.

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||Favorite Place to Be||
Itsuki's Hideaway

Eros’s favorite place has constantly shifted and changed as he grew older. From a fuzzy infanthood spent cold in a damp box, his favorite place was sequestered between the warm bodies of his mommas and wriggly siblings. As a kit, he developed a fixation for water, and would spend long hours messing with faucets or dipping his feet into ankle-high water and splashing around. Once he learned how to swim, he would seek out ponds to wade in, and gleefully followed Jade around on her adventures in hopes that she’d come across a body of water they could fish in. Now in a new home and with new pets to get to know, he struggled at first to find his niche, and being around water lost its all-encompassing allure as he matured. The new pets were as kind as they possibly could be… with a few, notable exceptions… but, one cat in particular exposed Eros to a unique place he fell in love with. Itsuki's hideaway is a small clearing with a pond hidden beyond Auke Hummock's property, and both Eros and Itsuki frequently disappear there to play and simply hang out. Eros's time spent with Itsuki in the clearing brought him closer to the smaller tom than any other cat on the property and helped Eros become more comfortable in his new home.

Eros had finally found a moment alone with Itsuki. Though Eros long since apologized for his behavior, he still felt a little contrite being around Itsuki, even when the small tom stammered out an “It’s fine, it’s fine!” whenever Eros felt the need to step lightly around Itsuki. Eros flushed under his fur at the thought. Jonathan still shot Eros disappointed looks at how he treated Itsuki these past few days.

But, they were alone now… and Eros had no clue how to go about making Itsuki more comfortable around him. The dark-furred tom timidly invited Eros along to explore the forests around the kennel’s property as a way to show Eros was forgiven, and now Eros stubbornly focused on where to put his feet on the cold, snow-laden ground. Anything to avoid Itsuki’s gaze as Eros blushed under his fur. Itsuki had stayed a few steps in front of Eros to guide the two into the forest, but now Itsuki paused. Eros, who was following the movement of the tom’s paws slowed, bemused. They had been walking for a quarter of an hour now, and it was only then that Itsuki eased his brisk pace. He made the mistake of looking up into Itsuki’s hazel eyes, and Eros’s throat closed up at the sight.

The little sweater Itsuki put on to stay warm and Eros thought looked dumpy inside the house seemed to shimmer in the early morning light on Itsuki’s body. The snow reflecting off of the ground made the maroon and emerald highlights in Itsuki’s eyes shine like bright gems as well. Were Itsuki’s eyes always this big?

“Eros!”

Itsuki’s exasperated tone snapped him out of his stupor. Eros smiled brilliantly to cover up his embarrassment. “So, so sorry Itsu! You were saying?”

Itsuki’s mouth curled into a moue at how blatantly Eros wasn’t paying attention, but thankfully the dark tom’s eyes stayed clear of any real anger. Eros felt himself flush further at the way Itsuki peered up at the taller tom with lidded, unamused eyes. Itsuki sighed and twitched his whiskers. “We’re at the place I wanted to show you.”

Eros finally took in his surroundings. His eyes widened at the sight of the natural arch in front of them. Snow laid heavy on top of the crisscrossing branches, and the inside of the small tunnel was dark with the lack of any light shining through. And yet, Eros could see cold morning sunshine glimmering from the other side of the arch. Itsuki flicked his tail to signal Eros to follow through the tunnel, and as he stepped into the clearing, Eros gasped at the sight.

The pond in front of them seemed frozen in time. The ice covering the water glistened, yet it was so opaque that Eros couldn’t even see bubbles underneath the surface. The pond seemed to have been fed by a nearby creek, but he could barely hear the gurgle of the water on this cold day. The whole clearing was surrounded by a thicket of evergreen trees, so the path back to the house seemed to fade away. The snow, glimmering in its freshness, was untouched.

Eros was floored. He never would have guessed that such a place existed behind the property. None of the other pets mentioned this beautiful clearing.

Eros’s ears perked at the Itsuki’s tinkling laughter. The smaller tom’s ears were flush as he tried to reign in his grin. “You look so astonished!”

Despite his embarrassment, Eros returned the grin with a genuine smile of his own as he peered around the clearing. “Well, why wouldn’t I be? Itsuki, this pond is amazing! How come no one knows about this place?”

Itsuki shuffled his paws at that and looked down as he murmured, “Ah, well it’s mainly because it’s so hard to get to. In the spring and summer, new branches make it almost impossible to find a way in unless you’re small.” The like me remained unsaid. Eros felt his heart clench at the sight. How was Itsuki this adorable?

Itsuki continued. “In the winter, there’s not much to the clearing since all of the small animals are hibernating, so the other cats avoid this place because the ice is usually too thin to be safe. But, it’s been cold for a while, so I thought— I thought that maybe…”

Eros peered down at Itsuki with an unreadable expression, and the smaller tom became flustered as he started to ramble. “I mean, well, we could probably come back in the summer too, if you don’t want to play on the ice! The water gets warm late August so it’s fun to swim in, and you did tell us all that you liked to swim, so uh—”

Eros’s rumbling purr cut off Itsuki’s spiel. The gray tom bumped his nose against Itsuki’s muzzle, and Eros could almost feel the way Itsuki heated up at the gesture. “Itsuki, thank you so much for sharing this with me! We have to come here as often as possible before the ice melts, and in the summer I can teach you how to swim! No use letting it go to waste, after all.”

Itsuki’s mouth split with a sweet grin as Eros tried to backpedal from such a bold statement. Itsuki hadn’t even agreed yet! “I-I mean, only if you really want to.”

Itsuki craned his neck up to buss his muzzle on the underside of Eros’s chin. “I do already know how to swim, but I’d love to, Eros. Thank you.”

Eros squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to contain his excitement. Itsuki’s laugh burbled in his ears as the smaller tom pulled away. “Well, come on! I’ll show you the best way to keep from slipping on the ice.”

Eros looked on, a bit dumbfounded as Itsuki’s sleek form bounded over to the ice before he moved to join the sweet tom.

“Well, I’ll try not to make a fool of myself!”

||Family Relationships||

Jade
Eros believes that he got virtually all of his competitive and stubborn traits from Jade. He’s always looked up to her and idolizes her ability to rarely cave in the face of adversity, and he’s always been the first to ask her to join her on her adventures. Jade has never seemed to have a very high tolerance for Eros’s tendency towards dramatics, so he tries to steel himself around the parent he wants to impress the most. While he didn’t show Jade his first kill, he readily showed her his first large kill, and he could barely contain his kittenish happiness when he saw how her eyes lit up in interest at the rat he caught pestering local rodents. Eros simply wants to make his Momma proud. Other than that, he frequently hides behind Jade’s protectiveness whenever he pisses off another cat to the point where they want to fight him. Fortunately, Jade doesn’t take too kindly to cats who would dare go after her kittens.

Amber
While Eros readily bonds with Jade over their shared need to be competitive, Eros looks to Amber when it comes to emotional support. Amber tends to be more indulgent of his outbursts whenever he feels the need to lament or boast over one thing or another. A pretty tom brushed him off? He runs to Amber. He caught his first mouse? Amber was the first cat he presented his spoils to, all while he vibrated against her side and stumbled over his words in his excitement. Amber would only regard him with amusement (or, whenever he’s rejected, empathy) as she tried to calm down her impatient kit with snuggles and grooming.

Aphrodite
Eros has a bit of a love-hate relationship with his older sister. They both love to flirt, so he used to envy her more refined ability to seduce other cats before she decided to humor him and teach him a thing or two. Yet, to this day, he still wishes he had her ability to weave her way out of rough situations with just a few well-placed words. But, Eros is still annoyed by how often she seems to get her way with only her personality. They easily get along when they’re with their other family members, but Eros becomes uncommonly incensed at her blunt nature when they’re alone. She rarely hesitates to cut deep when he does something stupid, but she’s also one of the first cats to defend him whenever he’s on the wrong side of an argument. Though they have their differences, he just intrinsically knows that Aphrodite will always have his back, just like he has hers.

Frigga
Oddly enough, Eros tends to butt heads with Frigga more often than he’d like nowadays. They used to bond over the pranks that they made as children, but they’ve been slowly drifting apart. Frigga’s never really liked their older sister, Aphrodite, so Eros’s love of flirtations seemed to rub her the wrong way the older they got. Her opinion of her youngest brother isn’t particularly high because of this, and Eros is keenly aware of the fact. He can get along with Frigga, and honestly enjoys her trouble-making ways since they reflect his own playful nature, but he secretly hates how she brushes him off since she doesn’t think he’s being serious most of the time. Though he prefers to be flippant with other pets, he never jokes around when it comes to his family. He just hopes that their relationship will go back to the way it once was in due time.

Parvati
Always the intellectual of the family, Parvati's the one that Eros goes to if he has a question he simply cannot solve. Without fail, she always seems to know the right answer, and Eros is simply in awe of her natural talent to pick things up quickly. He’s always admired his older sister’s intelligence, but her need to be distant from the rest of her siblings (she’s always been closer to their mothers) means that Eros sometimes approaches her with a touch of caution. Eros is prone to making an excuse to see her to justify his need to hang around with his taciturn sibling, so he likes to bring her little trinkets or gifts and then linger in her company so he can cuddle with her and share a bit of communal grooming. He’s not quite sure how she views the gifts, but she tolerates them all the same. For the moment, that’s all Eros really wants. He just wishes he could break past her defenses to get to know her better.

Hera
Eros tends to be fun-loving with all of his siblings, but he tries to tone down his intense nature when it comes to Hera, and in doing so he ends up being more patient with her overall. Her anxious and shy tendencies means that he’s particularly protective over his sister, even though she’s technically his older sibling. He tends to be leery of anyone who tries to approach Hera with muddy intentions because he hates to see her taken advantage of. Eros adores how compassionate Hera is, especially when she’s able to break out of her shell and show just how sweet and lovable she really is, so her willingness to put her trust in others makes him want to be her proverbial shield most of the time. He’s currently trying to show her the wonders of glamour and grace, so Eros is patiently waiting for the day where Hera can realize just how beautiful she is, both inside and out.

Juno
Much like Hera, Eros is very protective of his soft-hearted brother. They tend to bond over their shared love of elegance and prettiness. Juno introduced Eros to the beauty of frills and flowers long before any of his other sisters, so Eros has never really seen much of a problem with Juno’s femininity. Though, Eros just wishes that Juno would roughhouse with him sometimes! Eros gladly sacrifices a few hours of being dirty just to play, but Juno doesn’t seem to share the same sentiments. Juno tends to hang out with Aphrodite more than Eros, so unfortunately Eros isn’t as close to Juno as his other siblings. Nevertheless, Eros knows he can always look to his older brother to have an ear open to speak to.

Credits wrote:Extra 1|| Eros's Biography (Persona)
Extra 2|| Art

Intro wrote:SergeantWinter | Eros | 'love' in greek | Male | Ornate Collar
Partners: Diamond Sapphire [Hera], Almond Bark [Parvati]

Relationships wrote:

Jade wrote:Thing 1, as Eros affectionately likes to call Jade, isn't really his preferred mom. Don't get Eros wrong here, he loves to go on adventures with Jade, and he loves her dearly. Thanks to her, he has a bed to sleep in, and more importantly he found the bakery during one of their adventures. But it's the hunting that's the issue. He loves the thrill of a chase and all, but it's specifically the killing aspect of hunting. Eros doesn't want to kill or physically harm someone. No matter how big or small, and it kinda unsettles his stomach knowing that Jade does it. Sure, she doesn't do it often and he pushes the thought to the back of his mind. Unfortunately thoughts have a nasty way or reappearing over time.

Amber wrote:Thing 2, as Eros affectionately likes to call Amber, is the one he likes to confide in. She's just easy to talk to, and being his ma means she can understand his language. Though he has trouble connecting with her. Besides being a great talking buddy, he doesn't really know how to connect with her. Its an ongoing struggle that he doesn't really know how to handle. So he doesn't generally stick around either of his mothers, and opts to spend more time with his siblings.

Aphrodite wrote:Eros knows he really shouldn't pick favourites in the family, but Aphrodite is his favourite. Or at the very least, his favourite sister. He looks up to her as a roll model and has adapted some of the traits that she possesses. Of course they aren't exactly alike, but he had to have learned his flirtation skills from somewhere. It sure as heck wasn't the interwebs. Outside of being his all time idol, she's also like a best friend to Eros. Mostly for the fact that they both curl up together to enjoy a good rom-com and have 'feels'. Naturally it's a 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' scenario.

Frigga wrote:Eros views Frigga as his only match in the family when it comes to his trouble-making skills. Not that Eros enjoys getting into trouble, in fact he mostly tries to make the blame fall onto Frigga. It's one their sibling rivalry started. They both always trying one up the other and get an other in trouble for the greater prank. At the same time though, Eros does care for Frigga and would never harm him. It remains to be proven if Frigga has mutual feelings in this aspect.

Parvati wrote:Parvati is the only sister that Eros actively tries to avoid. More so because he knows she's the one that would rat him out on his next scheme, and potentially foil his plans. And with him being one of the lesser honest kits in the litter, the two tend to not always see eye to eye. Particularly when he decides to start cheating on his "lovers". Now those were some pretty heated conversations about ethics. Beyond their disagreements, Eros can unusually find himself going to her for comfort when theres that rare moment in time when the hole in his chest throbs. He isn't quite sure what causes it, but he can assume that it is because he knows Amber and Jade are not his real parents. The question that he always seems to wonder about them is who were they and what happened to them? In these moments him and Parvati tend to make up funny scenarios of their parents being superheroes and the like.

Juno wrote:No matter what, Eros will always have his bro's back, 'cause he can't help but to act like the 'big bro' to Juno. In reality, it's more likely Juno who's the 'big bro' since Juno is mostly taking care of Eros. Always the one to catch Eros after he falls and to help him up again. Eros tries to act all big and macho, when they both know the truth. It's Eros way of showing how much he cares. Though he isn't really sure what to think sometimes, since some days Eros swears that Juno is his sister and not his brother. It leaves Eros a bit awkward with his brother, and over time it passes. But again, Unfortunately it's like a boomerang. The feeling always seems to come back.

Hera wrote:At times Eros can be a bit overwhelming and pushy with Hera, but that's just due to his tendencies of wanting to be the big brother in the family. He just wishes to help her with her insecurities, but more often than not, his methods can become more of peer pressuring her into doing what he believes is overcoming her fears. Eros truly thinks he is helping, and he does this out of love. Unfortunately he doesn't normally see his errors in "helping" until Hera is in tears at his fault. Granted he does make endless apologies with countless roses that passersby give looks to, or passersby make incorrect assumptions. On top of that, Eros has this philosophy that only he is allowed to make Hera cry. If any else dares to upset her, there would be a hefty price to pay.