★ CAC Fanclub V.4 ★

[Chinch Bug]

username: Chinch Bug
clan: GildedClan
link to last post: x
pairing: Lapidot (Lapis Lazuli & Peridot from Steven Universe)
prompt:
GildedClan in general is still very new, being only 8 moons in. I've been taking a sort of 'toss characters together and see how it shakes out' approach to everything, with the founding post having been more of an end goal than an actual starting point. As a result everything is still quite ragtag and messy with different cats having different experiences and expectations.

Jaguarcrown himself is likely to stay quite open to new ideas and isn't likely to crack down on anyone, though. It ends up being an individual issue of who courts who and how breakups could end up. Whatever traditions fully solidify won't come from him directly as much as it'll come from whatever expectations turn out strongest among the whole population as the Clan grows.
Since one of his main guidelines for how this whole community is 'meant' to function is stories of monarchies and kingdoms, it's likely that the current structure of cats largely sorting themselves into social and family bubbles will stick around for a long while anyway. I could see it morphing over time into prioritizing the social bubble over the rest of the Clan, and therefore creating a necessity to consider the internal politics of who you get close to and date/become mates with. Jaguarcrown certainly is the type to be prone to nepotism at least. He doesn't really tend to consider cats close very often, and only really extends serious consideration for the opinions of those he does deem to be family to some capacity. Not when it comes to his personal decisions or convictions.

In the present day, there's so far only 2 pairs of cats with work in progress relationships.
One of them is Jaguarcrown and Camomilesun, both of whom are used to more shorter term flings as opposed to longterm relationships in their pasts. As a result, it's currently a lot of Jaguarcrown trying to quietly prove he's likely to be willing to stick around, mostly through bringing food to share and spending quiet time together. Since Jaguarcrown is used to living life on the move and not sticking around in one place for too long, to commit to something that much is a bit of a learning curve for him.

In general, most cats currently in GildedClan are used to similar independent or family-oriented structures of living, which does facilitate that trend towards a future of family interests being an important pressure for relationships. Firrumble and Huckleberryshell came from the same travelling family unit, Weaverdew has been taking care of just himself from as soon as he was old enough to, Fireblood and Wolfglade are friends looking out for each other and their new kit, Slatenose and Yarrowshine didn't grow up as Clan cats and both had their own loner origins. Owlgaze alone sticks out as a cat that is used to a structure where everyone has always been expected to care for each other. The rest are likely to treat a committed mate relationship to be an especially lofty decision, as few ties are ever treated with much permanence. Shorter term flings are normal to most of their experience, however, and are unlikely to get odd looks.
I tried

[ArtMajor]

username: ArtMajor
clan: Shinshima
link to last post: Will send in dms
pairing: Glaciershipping (Cole & Zane from Ninjago, happy to send more pics / yap about them in dms/discord if wanted)
prompt:

When it comes to romance, many of Shinshima time their proclamations of the heart around Ai no Saiten, the Festival of Love. While the festival is primarily a day to celebrate hoikushi (parents) and the sacrifices they make to raise the next generation, it is also a day for honoring expecting hoikushi, as well as a day for confessing love and expressing the desire to start a family. While it is not forbidden to declare courtship on Ai no Saiten, many find it romantic. The second most popular festival to profess love is on the Cherry Blossom Festival, underneath the freshly blossoming sakura trees just outside the camp. Whether the relationships last is up to the cats, but often declarations of mateship are made around these festivals as well, and in the months to follow.

While it is encouraged for partnerships to form for life, the clan is understanding that sometimes cats may drift away from one another, or be forced apart by their situation (such as death). In these situations, a mourning period is expected, of a minimum of six moons. After this, the cat(s) are free to pursue romantic relations again. Cats who choose to ignore the mourning period are seen as suspicious for moving on so quickly. If a cat chooses to take a partner outside of the clan, they are expected to make an effort to visit their partner. Flings are...less accepted, but not outright rejected at the least. Though it is rather unlikely a cat who partakes in flings will find a life partner, especially if they have multiple flings with multiple other cats.

Relationships that are formed (whether through courtship or declaring one another as mates) on festivals (but especially Ai no Saiten and the Cherry Blossom Festival) are seen as lucky, and likely to be longlasting.

Relationships that fall apart, amicably or otherwise, on the day of a festival (especially the more spirit-driven festivals) are seen as unlucky, regardless of any extenuating circumstance.

Courting is a rather formal affair. The cats involved in a relationship are expected to spend at least one season in courtship ((Shinshima uses 24 micro-seasons to divide the year, so essentially 15 days)) before declaring their mateship. ((There are 14 days between Ai no Saiten and the Cherry Blossom Festival, and this is seen as an acceptable length of time, due to the festivals. Courtships declared outside of the festivals are encouraged to go the full 15 days, if not longer.)) During this time, the cats are expected to spend time with one another, learning about each other, and giving each other gifts.

If, after the courtship period, the cats decide they are not meant to be, there will be a formal declaration of the Courtship's Dissolution. It is expected that there will be a season-long waiting period, out of respect for each other, before any of the cats involved start to pursue romantic relations again. The longer the wait, the better any new courtship is likely to be received.

If, after the courtship period the cats do decide to be together, there will be a formal declaration of Mateship, announced to the clan at the nearest festival. If the cats decide not to wait until a festival (Say during the winter periods when there are less festivals), they may request the Jōnin to call a meeting, in which the entire Clan will be in attendance to make their declaration. If a cat is not present for their declaration, it can be seen as them being snubbed by the mateship, except in emergency situations (where a cat may not be present due to being at the Shrine for long-term healing.)

[SkywardtheDragon]

user: Skywardthedragon
clan spinning: Frostclan
link to spinning clan's last post: here
total pebbles after spinning: 0

[GreatWolfLodge]

user: GreatWolfLodge
clan spinning: Nekomusume
link to spinning clan's last post: Ruuun!
total pebbles after spinning: 0 yay

[spookypuff]

username: spookypuff
clan: Ave Nepeta
link to last post: here!
pairing: Ruby/Sapphire from Steven Universe (let me know if you need a yap in dms! tehy are so precious to me holds them in my hands)
prompt: In the world of Ave Nepeta, the audience is the most important part of any story. Their emotions, be it anger, sadness or happiness, control the narrative. That which is onstage is therefore unequivocally, truly real. Atleast- it is, to the audience. But hidden offstage, in the depths of the private backstage, those who refuse the audience's reality take shelter. If the public were to find out of relationships between characters which they disapprove of, these cats would be shunned and exiled, if not outright disposed of. Ananke will try to pair cats currently in relationships with each other - perhaps two mates could play the parts of Catlet and Ophelia, or Tomeo and Molliet? She will try, and she will undoubtedly fail, as the audience's clamors will grow louder and louder, demanding a specific cat be placed into a specific role, placing the burden of playing a likable (or not) character on one who may not be suited for it. Ananke dares not think of what will happen then.

Offstage, however, the cats are free to do as they wish. Some may wish to pursue a formal courtship, dictated by the customs of the not-so-distant past and a ghostly presence in the form of one Mnemosyne, while those more eager to rebel may partake in casual relationships or flings. That which the audience does not know, does not concern them, after all.

A formal courtship is defined by three things: a period during which the two or more cats learn more about one another, a mid-courtship gift, and finally, a ceremony, during which they shall profess their relationship in the midst of a spotlight. During the learning period, cats are expected to stick near one another during patrols, watching each other's backs and hunting for their potential partner. Sharing food is encouraged. While participating in all these activities, a cat is expected to learn enough about their pair to know what kind of gift would bring them joy, and then gift it during the exact middle of their courtship. For some, this may manifest as a physical object, for others - a continued reassurance their partner will not leave them behind. To each their own.

The final ceremony, as Mnemosyne would say, is the "declaration of love - for the theater, the troupe and each other!" During a full moon (or, when the lights are fixed, literally any time of day), the cats shall step out onto the empty stage with nothing but each other and the spotlight beckoning them closer. Then, they will each perform a monologue, recapping the period of their courtship and the reasons they chose each other. The monologue may be performed in any manner of their choosing - interpretive dance, song or simply spoken aloud - and then must be followed by reciting the following line: "May the spotlight grant our hopes and wishes, and may our relationship lay the roots for the flourishing of our troupe." This is followed by Mnemosyne's acceptance (more likely than not, although everyone fears the day she'll deny a ceremony), with which the cats are considered officially mated.

[obnixious]

username: obnixious
clan: YinClan
link to last post: Feb 2 (on site)
pairing: Sticks (Time To Shine by Rachel Reid)
prompt:
In their past, mateship was a semi-strict topic in YinClan. They were allowed to take emotional mates outside of the Clan, but relationships that would result in kits were only allowed between YinClan and YangClan. If they had kits from another Clan, the mother and their kittens would've been sent away to the Clan they had mingled with. They were more focused on keeping their home contained, and keeping families close in their home.

But now, in a time where YangClan has all but disappeared despite still living in the same castle, things have changed.

Since YinClan was such a primarily molly Clan, it will be much harder to keep the continuation of the Clan going if they don't branch out. And so, YinClan cats will now be able to take emotional or kit-bearing mates from other Clans, without fear of banishment. They are encouraged to do so, in fact, and so have been going to gathering in hopes of sparking new relationships. After all, a Clan can't be kept going on just accepting new cats into the Clan alone.

They are also branching out from being a molly centered Clan! Toms will now be welcomed to stay in YinClan (including, of course, any other gendered cats that primarily prefer to use he/him pronouns or lean more masculine). Some fear this may make litter-splitting a more challenging affair; as previously, all toms born would be moved over to YangClan, while any mollies born there were moved to YinClan. Now they will have to find other ways to split up kittens between parents, if the parent in the other Clan wishes to have some come live with them.

There are some small things that YinClan cats would still love to be able to do, that might be a bit harder with further away partners. There's a pavilion out behind the castle they live in, where cats would go to declare themselves as mates. It's a lovely little structure on a long path, and the view over the valley they live in is quite breathtaking. Many YinClan cats still dream of getting to take their chosen partner(s) out there, but understand that it might be too far of a journey for some. Instead, they will take their kits out there before taking them to their new homes, letting them look out at the sun rising on their new life.

There's also the lake down in the valley, where many of YinClan like to go to swim. The water is so clear, and many cats like to pick out rockcs for their mates (and friends) from along the shore. There's also a path to behind the waterfall that many insist is a romantic place for a date.

As for breakups, YinClan understands that they may be an inveitability with long-distance mateships. YinClan believes in trying to hold positive relationships even after a breakup, especially if there's kits involved, but otherwise it's purely up to the individuals in how they handle their feelings about it. That's not for the bulk of the Clan to get involved with unless asked.

[Ryn11]

username: Ryn11
clan: Saltclan
link to last post: 2/11/26
pairing: Sylvaina (Sylvanas Windrunner/Jaina Proudmoore (World of Warcraft)) - will send pics/info in dm!
prompt:

Newstar made it clear early on that Saltclan cats were welcome to pursue relationships with cats outside the clan, and any half-clan kits were no different from full-clan. Growing up with twolegs, Newstar was no stranger to the notion of arranged pairings and adopting-off of kits. After learning about different clan cultures on their journey south, Newstar decided they didn't feel comfortable dictating their clanmates' love lives. Any and all couplings are allowed, provided every cat involved is a consenting adult. Driftwood has appointed herself clan confidante and makes sure everyone knows they can come to her at any time if they feel another cat is acting inappropriately. She and Newstar have a good rapport and are able to handle things discreetly, though nothing has come up yet.

The freedom is particularly favored by cats who escaped The Admiral, as his policies on mateships and kitting were draconic at best. According to Driftwood & Copperleaf, partnerships were very closely regulated by the ship's Captain, and any pregnant queens were effectively banished to a shore camp until their kits came of age to be apprenticed to a ship of their own. Shinepelt was lucky in that he was assigned to the same ship as his parents. Sailcloth was not. Once he was old enough to sail, he never saw his mother again. Given this, Newstar puts extra emphasis on families spending time together, perhaps to the annoyance of some apprentices who wish to leave their parents' shadows.

Sunstone has not imposed a vow of celibacy on Dawnwhisper, but he has always kept his own vow from his former clan, out of habit if nothing else. Sunstone & Newstar welcome questions from cats that come of age regarding courting and mating, whether in line with old clan codes or Newstar's personal beliefs. (Sunstone teaches health class lol)

Courting and mating can be as casual or as formal as the cats involved desire. This policy has worked well so far, as most of Saltclan cats come from a variety of backgrounds. More formal cats will often begin courtships by asking their potential partner on one-on-one hunting trips. The more casual cats tend towards private conversations, though there have been a few rushed confessions in the middle of the camp clearing, much to the confessor's embarrassment. Otterstripe's declaration of love to Splashsnout would have been embarrassing for any other cat, but luckily Otterstripe's ego makes for a well-stuffed cushion.

Any breakups or difficult quarrels are usually mediated by either Glassfang or Driftwood. Newstar tends to take a backseat to these sorts of things -- it's just not their area of expertise. So far, there have not been any explosive break-ups, which Newstar is thankful for. Though things are getting a little twisty amongst the younger generation; seems as though Sunbeam has found himself the oblivious center of a love triangle. Pineclaw does his best to counsel his kit, but Sunbeam doesn't really get what the big deal is. He's friends with both Flameheart and Mossbloom, why can't they be friends with each other too?