[Baobabel]

Username: Baobabel
Name: Silent Snow Falling // Snjókomu (Komu)
Gender: Female
Name Meaning: Snjókomu- Icelandic for snowfall
Prompt:
Resolution A - Interacting with others/friendship
Snjókomu has always been more of a loner. Both because she’s naturally introverted but also because she has a strong combination of shyness and social anxiety. Now that she’s in a new home in a fresh start she wants to try again. While content in her own company, lately she’s been feeling the urge for companionship. She quickly grew to trust the human but that relationship is not the same as one with another dog. This year she really wants to try to push herself into both participating more in the farm community and to make at least one close friend. She wishes she had someone to confide in and celebrate with. Snjókomu knows everyone on the farm is super friendly and kind but knowing that doesn’t make the anxiety magically go away. She knows not trying will only make the anxiety worse but it's still scary to try. It's going to be hard, especially at the beginning, but she’s determined to try.

Resolution B- Nature Knowledge
Her second goal is more fun, Snjókomu wants to learn how to ID the bird calls and animal tracks in her area. Now she knows she won’t learn every single species in a year, but she’s excited to start. She loves spending time outside and watching the creatures around her. She’s alway had respect and admiration for other animals. Her favorite time of year is winter for three reasons, and all three will help her achieve this resolution.
1- She blends in with the snow. This always helps her to get much closer to other animals, especially the more skittish species. Plus she can watch longer without being detected.
2. Tracks stand out better and are more plentiful. There’s always tons of fresh tracks after a snow. They’re clean and easy to follow so it should aid in her learning to ID tracks
3. The reduced vegetation makes it easier to spot birds. While there are few species that stick around in the winter, those that do are easier to see due to the lack of foliage. So, when she hears a bird call, it’ll be much easier to spot the bird it belongs to and thus learn the calls faster!
Maybe she can find a naturalist collie in her new pack that shares this interest? (and maybe it’d also help towards her other new year resolution!)


Achieving (Reflections at the end of the year):
Ibex was one of the first collies Komu really interacted with. Ibex is a quiet and calm collie that is often found sitting on the outside of the group, peacefully observing. Komu wasn’t quite as intimated to approach him. The first time she chickened out and walked right past without even acknowledging him. The next couple times she sat close but didn’t talk to him. He seemed to understand though and gave her the patience and space she needed to overcome the worst of her anxiety. Eventually she was able to fully greet Ibex. Now the two can often be seen engaging in quiet conversation or just sitting together watching the snow fall.

Overtime Snjókomu also grew close to a couple others in the pack. They were so friendly and outgoing it would've been harder to avoid them! Once they had been introduced and had some level of trust and learned Komu's goals, they were determined to help. They helped push on days when it would've been easier to stay alone. Plus, it's much easier to go to a social event when you already know several of the collies (and when they'll do most of the talking/introductions for you!))

Brindlewood was already a ‘naturalist’ when Komu arrived. For years he’s taken walks by himself and recorded his observations in a notebook. He was so excited to have someone interested and wanting to join him! He was and is very happy to help anyone learn. He hasn’t done much snow tracking himself so he’s eager to learn that with Komu. When Kuutamo overheard Komu and Brindlewood talking about birds and such, he also grew interested and asked to join the excursion. Now the three often go, watching and learning together. By interacting and learning with these two, Komu has learned it’s ok to mess up or ask questions, in fact it’s a big part of science and learning! The other two never make her feel silly or incompetent for it. Not only has she become exceptionally good at tracking and bird ID (perhaps the best of the trio!) in just a year, but it’s also helped her become more comfortable making mistakes and interacting with others.

[kyeza]

Username: kyeza
Name: in the wake of winter woods // yuki
Gender: male
Name Meaning: a japanese name meaning "snow" or "happiness"
Prompt: disembodied mind & silent film


❄ one: self-improvement
to learn to better control his abilities and soften the blow of winter for the coming year.


since he was born, yuki's control over the winter season has been questionable at best. when it forces its hand each year as the fall comes to an end, he has never been able to quell it. this has led to countless harsh winters—heavy snowfall and harsh, bitter cold biting at any and all creatures in his realm—and more deaths and sicknesses than he could count. though talus never said a word, he knew that the other was overwhelmed with the sheer number of souls to reap each season. he felt terrible. each year, his anxiety grew as the snow approached, both rising and rising and rising in turn with the death toll.

his emotions being so high strung never made it any easier. the winter's temperament seemed to follow his own, and he had never been known for his stoic nature. it made him greatly upset that he couldn't get his abilities under control and forever anxious that those who counted on him to thaw the ice even just a little bit were let down, led to their doom by someone who couldn't even stop a snowflake's fall. and that only made it worse. and he knew that. he knew that it never helped, that it only made it more difficult to face his people, his bone-sculpted friend, the world at large. but there was nothing he could do. truly.

and that was why, this coming season, he would try his very hardest to make even the slightest difference in the unbridled cold. he would hold it back, keep it locked inside where no more grieving faces would ever again have to see those heavy, dreary clouds roll in. he would. he had to.

it was the least he could do.



❄ two: enjoyment
to wander the world until he finds the picturesque scene on his pelt: his birthright and his home.


his pelt was a mystery even to him. how it worked was beyond his comprehension, but what he'd gathered was as follows: the scene on his right was representative of the place he truly belonged. it never changed, static in its homesteaded nature, and called to him like no other. he could feel its pull from wherever he was in the world. it was a steady thrum in his heart, a tug in an indescribable and seemingly nonphysical direction, but a tug nonetheless. where it was pulling him, he still did not know. all he knew was it was home.

this year would be the one he finally finds his way to that very home. he'd been wandering all his life, following that homeward-bound sensation, and still knew so little about how it worked or where he was headed. as such, he'd vowed to dedicate his life to discovering the way to that oh-so-special place.

but that wasn't all. the left side of his pelt shifted with the scenery he passed, each location leaving its mark on his heavy winter coat in the form of snow-topped trees and ice-glistening landmarks. he had also decided that until he found the home he was searching so desperately for, he would gather as many new symbols as possible—a stamp for each stop of his adventure and a sign of his hardiness. his body's tapestry would forever remind him of the journey he'd traveled, the places he'd been, and the people he'd met along the way, and never would he forget a single moment of it.



❄ as the snow falls gently down
to find of one's true home amidst the wide world beyond.


it was inevitable that he one day would find it, he just didn't expect it to come about like this. winter had fallen like it always did, quick and harsh, and he had little hope for his vow to follow through. he'd done well on one of his promises to himself, having ventured farther into the wilderness than he ever had before, pelt adorned with countless new marks of time. but what good was the travel without achieving the end goal? without finding his home?

that was what he'd said to himself as he stumbled across a hidden little alcove: a snow-covered valley, trees topped with powdered flakes and mountaintops scraping at the sky in the distance, quaint little log cabin fenced in with evergreen planks. it was as he crossed the threshold that he knew. this was it. his home. he'd finally found it, after all this time, after all his years of aimless wandering.

and it was then that he realized the truth of his abilities. they relied not on his control or capability but his sense of home. once he'd taken that first step past the fence line, it was almost as if the world sighed in relief, as if all was as it was meant to be. for the first time in years, the snow settled, the howling winds died down to a whisper, the bitter cold lessened to a subtle chill. it was peaceful. beautiful. and it was all because he'd found his home, and with it, he'd found himself.

[paradise,]

Username: paradise,
Name: winter wonder | north
Gender: male
Name Meaning: inspired by winter/north pole
Prompt:

1. Make his coat more plush!
North has a bad habit of messing up his fur and getting it all dirty because of his love of the mud! This year, he wants to prioritize his coat and make it soft and long again and maybe spend less time rolling in the mud... He is hoping to be regularly groomed and brushed this year to be able to show off his beautiful pelt.
2. See snow for the first time!
Despite his snowy appearance, North has never seen snow! This fluffy collie has always wanted to romp around in the white powder and cover himself in the cold flurries. He dreams of running through piles of it, tossing it up with his nose and maybe eating a bit too. It must taste good, right?

[Griffin Torrens]

Username: Baobabel
Name: Silent Snow Falling // Snjókomu (Komu)
Gender: Female
Name Meaning: Snjókomu- Icelandic for snowfall
Prompt:
-snip-

Congratulations!
I felt this entry really showed off her character not only through her chosen resolutions, but how she went about them. I chuckled when picturing her walking up to talk to Ibex, then getting shy and walking right past! You answered the prompt well, with a personal improvement goal including the longing that made her set it, and one for enjoying new things to better the year. It sounds like it'll be a challenging but fun and worthwhile time for her!

I'd also like to award honourable mention vouchers* to the following:
Kyeza, I loved how creative and unique your entry was! It was cryptic in an enjoyable way and the songs really fit.
Smokyskies, the goals you chose were interesting and thoughtful, and the artwork was full of feeling, I hope you can find a collie to match it in the future!
coaliev, the detail was awesome, and the prompts being tied together yet still clearly seperated as work and enjoying was nice!

*Currently known as Title Vouchers, you can find info here and I'm almost always open to making them! More options for higher tiers will be available in the future (no estimated date) for those that like saving up/as they're given out more often.

[Baobabel]

Ahhhh, thank you! The edits and Winter wonder are so gorgeous on this one. I really enjoyed the prompt and the personality I created. I'm looking forward to expanding it in the future!

[Smokyskies]

Thank you for the voucher! Congrats Baobabel, this pup is a beauty! I would love to do a split breeding with this girl if your ever interested.