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Shima
She/They
Maddox's World wrote:Maddox's world is quite different from any other Kalons - a world which is small, and quiet, and clean. It's a gentle world where nothing is spoken above a whisper, and anything loud is treated as a threat. It is blindingly white and purely colored - other than the Kalons inhabiting it, there is not a speck of color the entire world over. Maddox's world is peaceful. It is small. And it is nothing more than a tiny ball of lint that just so happened to fall behind a dryer.
Of course, Maddox and the rest of the Cottonball Citizens know nothing of this. They believe the forests of fluffy white trees and endless oceans of vast colorless wasteland are eternal and all, that there is nothing beyond the blindingly bright oasis other than the Great Whiskered Goddess. After all, it's quite illegal to cause trouble by dreaming of anything larger, and any violators of this are treated just as harshly as those who disturb the peace of quiet. This is never too much of a problem, as all the Kalons in the community are rather content with their lives and viewing only that which was in front of them. Did they have any need for dreams, when living in such perfection? Was there need for anything beyond what beauty they had?
Maddox believed so. The young teacher yearned for something more than the vast fields and occasional muffled whirring from the Beyond. He fully believed that there was more to life than what was presented, and he was eager to find it; however, as a rule follower, he didn't dare to disturb the peace of the world. At night, however, when the air is silent and the sky darkens, Maddox likes to sit beneath the large expanse of pure white trees and stare up, wondering what could possibly be beyond Cottonball. Was there anything beyond this bland, boring landscape? Anything at all?
Having explored the entire world over during his free time, Maddox discovered that there were only a pawful of landscapes. There was the Cottonball Common, which housed the entirety of the snowy atmosphere that was, as name suggested, the most common. Next, there was what Maddox dubbed The Borders. This was one large blockade that seemed to dictate the end of the world - it was a dusty green, and taller than what Maddox could see past. Finally, there was the Tiled Lands. This, Maddox had decided, was the other border of the world. It ended the Cottonball Common abruptly, slowly flowing out into a sea of darkened brown tile. This, like The Borders, was absolutely endless. While proof suggested that this was all their was, Maddox plans to one day gather enough supplies to sail out across the Tiled Lands to see if he can find other civilizations.
How the World Runs wrote:Government Cottonball is run by a pawful of Kalons called the Defenders. It is a group known for their intellect and strength, who can not only be depended on for decision making, but also for defending the world if need be. They are also the enforcers of the law, and the ones who choose the punishments. While some Kalons can earn the rank of Defender, it is usually a role that a kit is born into. This way, they can be trained from a very early age in the way of governing and leading. It keeps from many accidents happening, and tries to insure a smooth transition from retired to new leaders.
Law and Punishment There are not many laws in Cottonball, but the few that there are are enforced harshly. Most common sense laws, such as the laws against murder and theft, are in place, but there are also some that are not quite as common. These unusual laws include that no voice can come beyond a whisper, none may venture past the Tiled Sea without reason, all must aid in the work around town (including cleaning and raising of kits), and that none may invite any strangers onto the land. Small misdemeanors are first given a warning, then a stern lecture, then time in isolation. If these acts are continued or a more severe crime is committed, the Kalon is sentenced to exile beyond the Tiled Sea, and banished from the land of Cottonball.
Supplies It may have come up to the reader that perhaps it could be a bit difficult to get supplies to the micro world of Cottonball. It is certainly difficult, but not quite impossibles! Each morning, citizens of Cottonball venture out as far as they can dare to gather buckets of water from small puddles formed along the Tiled Sea. As for food, small pellets from the Great Whiskered Goddess across the Tiled Sea are often very mercifully whisked in the direction of Cottonball, and one pellet can feed the entire town for a year. As for building materials, wood can be found via splinters along The Borders, and anything else can be fashioned from a mixture of wood and white trees. The citizens of Cottonball are very creative individuals!
Marriages Marriages are only arranged when involving the Defenders, and all others are purely out of love and commitment. There is one chapel in which both officials and citizens get married, and it is a very cute little chapel indeed! It is showered with flowers fashioned of fur and white trees, and it is quite a sight to behold. Weddings often last over the course of several days,
and are the only times where citizens are permitted to be louder in celebration. Feasts often accompany weddings, as well as much dancing.
Religion The citizens of Cottonball are monotheists, believing in no more than one god. This god, or goddess in this matter, is The Great Whiskered Goddess. She is the one who makes a jingling bell noise whenever she approaches, and is the one to provide food and outside protection. Although no Kalon has seen her, with the exception of a handful of elders, none can dismiss the jingling and gentle war cry of meow that often sounds across the land.
More on Maddox wrote:This naturally quiet boyo is the only teacher in the entire world of Cottonball. Although he is even more soft spoken than what is normal and has an incredibly timid nature, Maddox is held as one of the most respected members of the community. His seemingly contradicting sense of adventure and vast knowledge make him popular among both adults and kits, and it has been more than once that the Defenders have considered adding him to their ranks (the only thing holding him back was the fact that he could never hurt a fly). Although he loves and respects his community and culture, his curiosity gets the best of him, and he often times wonders what more he could learn if he transferred to a larger school.
Kjiav wrote:When I walk through my land, the air is cold and the ground covered with rough stones. They might hurt my feet, had I not developed heavy calluses on my pawpads years ago. This land is my home, all of the flat expanses and tall crags, the frigid streams and circling birds, the bright eyes of nocturnal creatures far ahead, the empty dome of the sky so far above. I know nothing else.
Kjiav wrote:It's taken me years to travel from the city of Ije all around Wajike. Everywhere I go is something new: a new creature to be written into my wildlife journal, an instrument I've never heard, a different dialect, a city beyond even my imaginings. I've tried to learn every language and document everything I've seen. I've made maps: regions, districts, cities, boroughs. One day I'll have mapped everything, and then, maybe I'll go beyond. What's really at the place where the walls melt into the sky?
Kjiav wrote:Never have I been fond of our rulers. Fat, rich men in stuffy clothing and binding ribbons, who've never experienced the life of a commoner. They call it a rule by judges; I call it an oligarchy, like the ones centuries back. They care for nothing but the preservation of themselves and the upper class. A revolution, of farmers, workers, and common folk, now that is what Wajike needs.
Kjiav wrote:In truth, gods do not create people. People create gods, like they create stories, because they need something to hold onto. I've found all kinds of religious folk on my travels, but the ones I remember are those that wrap themselves up in worship because it warms their broken hearts, who cling to their gods like toddlers cling to rotting blankets because there's nothing else for them to hold. I was that kind, back when I didn't know who I was yet, before I knew that I wanted to do nothing but wander and learn all that I could about people and the world they live in.
Kjiav wrote:As much as I love the creatures that mill about this land, and those long nights walking with nothing but the sky and ground in sight, and journaling, and silence, and aloneness, I do love the people. The way they talk and the way they do things. The songs they sing, the stories, the art, the communities that I never stay in for more than a month. But those communities have left marks all over me. I hope I've made marks on them, too.
Kjiav wrote:I think of myself as simple. I don't wear clothes, but I sometimes do weave a ribbon into my great cloud of fur; it makes me feel pretty. Nor do I really live in a house. I carry my home on my back, heavy sleeping wraps and a pad for me to lie down on. Sometimes I sleep under trees or in caves or in someone's home, though I never stay for long, because I think I'm somewhat of a ghost: floating from place to place, whispering through, talked of until I'm forgotten.
Kjiav wrote:Sometimes I'll come across a library in a big town, or a little one, and I'll try to find books on what the world was like before. Try as I might, I can only document the world as it is now. Perhaps one day, when I'm turning to dust somewhere in the Highlands, my journals will help future people understand the world as it is now: my world.
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