⸙ Seasonal Surveys ⸙ Neverending Night ⸙ SPRING PROMPT

[nindroidzane]

Username + ID || nindroidzane + 996925
Sign-up Post Link || xx
Word Count || 268
Prompt || Every autumn, FluxClan cats get together to forage and store as much food as they can over the winter. Some of the effort is driven by instinct; most cats in the clan have the ability to transform into another animal. This is passed on genetically, and the animal form usually passes on in a loosely similar way, so repeats aren't uncommon. This means there are plenty of rodent type cats running around the clan - the kind of animal that tends to gather food, bury its stores and prepare to hunker down for the winter, waiting for it to blow over.

Of course, most of the clan spends the majority of their time as cats, so going all the way isn't really an option. But instincts lead to ideas, so rather than burying food and spending winter beneath the snow, the clan buries stores together, in places they're likely to freeze but he relatively easy to dig up mid-winter.

It's become a sort of celebration. Every cat - even those with completely different animal instincts, and those with none at all - tries to gather as much food as they can. Some take it easy, making up little groups of friends and heading out into the brown, red and yellow littered woods to forage and spend time together, enjoying peace and warmth before the harsh winter arrives. Others get more competitive - especially the apprentices - turning the foraging into games; who can find the most food, who can hunt the fastest, and the like. However cats do it, it brings the clan together, strengthening its bonds before the trials of winter arrive.

[SushiFoxx]

Username + ID || SushiFoxx 1005758
Sign-up Post Link || Forum/viewtopic.php?f=124&t=5079648&p=150302700#p150302700
Word Count || 252 words
Prompt ||

Many Kingdom cats had never come to know hunger, Sheepwish had come to find out. As she was talking to them, having been through numerous seasons herself where food was scarce, very few of them seemed to know the pain of a unfilled belly. The Kingdoms dragon festival always occurred during the fall and she caught on quickly how important that celebration was to them, well, a few of them.

Many of the Kingdoms celebrations fall during fall and spring, where conditions are less harsh and cats can gather around comfortably. Sheepwish found that many cats tend to decorate their cabins as well during these seasons, celebrating farmers harvests when clothes are easier to get.

During this seasons harvest, Sheepwish found many of the cloth makers made sweaters for the late born younglings with their scraps of fabric left over. She couldn’t help but imagine that Lavenderlake would have loved it here, interacting with the cloth makers.

MistClan and all the surrounding Kingdoms around the clan always preserved resources during fall, resources often running low during winter. MistClan sat in a fairly desirable area of land, but without much cover outside the forest, most of the prey skittered away as it got colder. Most cats couldn’t reach the forest during the winter due to how high the snow could get during the harshest of winters. However, during years where the prey ran better and the winter was softer, they would hold a bountiful harvest celebration to show their appreciation to the gods.

[beeqlass]

Username + ID || beeqlass 892127
Sign-up Post Link || here!
Word Count || 277
Prompt ||

Autumn is a time of transition from life to death, light to dark, abundance to scarcity. Does your clan prefer to celebrate the abundance they have or mourn what is to come? What kind of celebration do they have? Is it more typical for them to use all the resources at their disposal to feast in preparation for the winter or do they prefer to conserve what they have and have lower energy celebrations?


the sungardens love celebrating: their traditions mimic those of the creatures that walk on two legs, speak in tongues, and are quite honestly, a tad ugly, with their weird frilly fabric and long fur adorned only on their heads - why do they not grow fur elsewhere? - the lack of claws, their ears, no use in hunting.

but, their autumn festivities are no different - they were adapted from them generations ago, and here they have changed, both a celebration of the sun. they gather around, and even invite their prey for a day of peace and celebration - to celebrate the harvest, the second sun, each other. they paint murals with one another, they carve pumpkins and acorns, they align berries and grown vegetables and strange herbs together, with some specialities such as the cheese made from the mice, some exotic nuts from the squirrels.

they share together, as even if there is a food chain, they are all worthy of love.

they paint together this day, they light fires and tell stories of their ancestors, they watch the sun rise and fall.

it is rare for a famine, and even if a famine were to occur, this would not stop their plans of one of their most favoured celebration in the year. they trill and churr, they purr and sing -- they are lucky that their winters are not harsh, and many of the cats within the sungardens grow plants through the winters. they are lucky … compared to the clan to the southeast.

this is a celebration that means shorter days to come, and yet even without their sun, they still pave a path of light for themselves.

[SkyWishes21]

Current Season: Autumn

Everyone who posted (and is on this list) will receive +1 Wishing Well Token!

The following users will receive +5 Moonflowers:
mal du pays + 186503
feverrr + 412872
Macabre. + 653516


The following users will receive +10 Moonflowers:
craig? + 629149
BingoDingo03 + 1113749
Thani + 509675
Archaeopteryx. + 334452
PeepinBones + 1045189
paopu + 712868
sparkypines + 144935
Swishy & Broken + 104983
Whovian5eva + 328762
Plushbunny + 858001

The following users will receive +15 Moonflowers:
Hazelfang + 941669
Shuurock + 933052
Tilluels-Paradise + 1108908
River Song + 93964
MireyaDC + 1046878
changeling. + 756856
jun10r + 1050173
knickknacks + 815546
Embergleam + 127087
Kazin + 3262
I Like Bees + 904964
Aizaka + 995625
canadianhowl + 523964
razr + 1021614
feather ' + 979911
Derpy. + 918438
clouds-move-on + 152882
crexmii + 1056107
Infinitygalixy + 852716
VenomousParadise + 888989
kyeza + 803669
dimi. + 908977
Ricocheted + 1132888
SkyWishes21 + 603852
lichenfeather + 93968
harvestberry + 1022572
mahogany + 1097594
Baobabel + 39277
vivika + 966947
faelyn + 967122
Zentropy + 75749
nindroidzane + 996925
SushiFoxx + 1005758
beeqlass + 892127

[SkyWishes21]

Current Season: Winter

The air is inexplicably frigid when you arrive this time (even more than you’d expect from a lightless night), forcing you to fluff up your coat. Even The Assistant has pulled their capelet closer around themself. With their head buried in pages – presumably all of responses from the Autumn questions – it takes a moment for them to notice you.

“Do forgive the temperature. The Winter King made a personal appearance to tell me how much I was doing wrong, even though it’s my first time running something like this.” With a grimace, they give you a once over and then pass you a fresh paper bark. “Here’s your new questions, and thank you again for your help.”

Winter is cold and harsh, often demoralizing, rarely kind. How does your clan keep up their spirits during this time? Do they pool their resources for a larger celebration or have several smaller ones? What do they center their celebrations on during the long dark? Why? Has this changed in the past? Is it likely to change in the future? If you don’t celebrate anything, what do you do instead?

Code: Select all

[b]Username + ID[/b] ||
[b]Sign-up Post Link[/b] ||
[b]Word Count[/b] || (if applicable, delete if not)
[b]Prompt[/b] ||


[dimi.]

Username + ID || dimi. 908977
Sign-up Post Link || here
Word Count || 317
Prompt || Winter, for the Heart of Decay, is absolutely NOTHING to celebrate. It is their hardest season, and after the recent fight with Vira in the mountains, a touchy season that brings up a lot of old emotions for cats.

For starters, their main source of water, the flourishing river carved through their territory, completely freezes over. This makes water a lot harder to access - to the point that during the fall, buckets are scattered throughout the territory to be filled by water, and then put into jars that are tightly sealed and put aside.

Thanks to the abundance of resources during fall, none of the cats in the Heart of Decay go hungry or have wounds left untended to - their resources that can go to other clans just substantially decrease. They will still give what they can, but must keep in mind that their clan needs resources too to make it through the tough season.

Baby ESPECIALLY hates winter; for a couple of reasons. Firstly, all the birds flutter off to somewhere much warmer, meaning her feather supply for pranks is almost always depleted by the end of winter. Then, the trees stop producing sap! The two components of her most common terrorizing tactics are completely stomped out of existence. And finally, Baby is immune to fire and burning herself - because of this, she is always cold; and Winter means that, despite her fluffy fur and large amount of weight, she is always shivering. Even if she sits near a fire, the heat does hardly anything but keep her alive.

During the long night, the cats of the Heart of Decay would probably just bundle up close to a fire. Baby especially hovers near fires - not because she is cold, but because the flames acts as a source of light, and mostly keeps the flashes of Gala's death and Nona's rage in the back of her mind.

[BingoDingo03]

Username + ID || BingoDingo03 1113749
Sign-up Post Link || x
Word Count || 384
Prompt ||

Let's change our perspective from the farmyard and Glenmoor for a moment to talk about the new mysterious mountain band, huh? These new cats; the does not celebrate the chill-winded days in joy. No, these cats spend much of their time gathering as much prey and medicine they can get their paws on. They start way before the first leaf turns red. When they believe they have enough goods, they all hoard their stashes in their cat-made storages. They take turns as a community to protect their goods from the freezing cold. Once it’s settled, they come together and huddle for warmth. With the way they're acting, you must assume they must be gathering things for a big celebration, do you?

Well, not exactly.

Their eyes hold not happiness, but sadness instead. Their terms of "celebrating" this season is to not share joy, but grievances instead. The times I've explored this part of our world, I've always caught the sight of a great number of cats lost to the snow. I can relate as to why they see the chill-winds is a deathly time to live through. They’ve lost close friends, family, and members; it’s so sad to see. Remember, the chill-winds are a time of loss and death, so of course it won't be to rejoice in some places.

From what stories I've heard, they share their experiences of their own losses during this time. Some told their feelings of woe from their recent loss of a member, some speck of the hope of seeing their next bloom-rain. Hearing the mix of their hopes and . Once the rest are finished, the eldest cats come to the center to speak, and what they say is true. They are living in the cycle of life. Grief and loss will never end as they live; it’s ok to feel as though hope’s not in their favor. It may seem harsh, but as they survive through this relentless season, they’ll know they’re strong enough to fight the cold again. Their loved ones may be gone in body, but they still linger in their memories, stories, and most importantly, their hearts.

It may seem sad, but as they come together for warmth, comfort, and coming to respect the cycle of life, it gives a sense of acceptance.

[knickknacks]

Username + ID || knickknacks + 815546
Sign-up Post Link || xxx
Word Count || 258
Prompt ||

The worst of winters in the world of salted stone are bitterly, bitingly cold. During these seasons, the storm-ridden mountains become all but impassable, and the open sea churns with a ferocity that brings all but the hardiest ships to their graves. Many cats on the northern part of the continent, then, do not venture during these times, hunkering down in their homes and not risking travel. In remote villages, it is not unheard of for multiple families or neighbors to cluster together into larger halls, keeping company all together and sharing the work of cooking and keeping warm. In this way, though the winters are still bitter, the edge is dulled by the merriment of company- that is, of course, provided no interpersonal drama happens to spoil the atmosphere.

Through the winter, it is a tradition to share songs and stories to pass the time and beat back the howling winds outside, and young cats will cluster together to warm each others' fur, and their hearts, with myths and epics (and some tall tales made up on the spot). The stories told during the long winter often center exploits of the saints and folk heroes of the world, most often those associated with fire- it is a superstition that even speaking the names of Erebus or Festos or Bellone will warm a place, and cats cling to that with hope that the winter will pass smoothly. It is not an easy season, but the denizens of the world have ways of making do until the thaws come.

[MireyaDC]

Username + ID || MireyaDC + 1046878
Sign-up Post Link || Link
Word Count || 275
Prompt ||

Winter is a time of benevolence, abundance, unity, and happiness for the Lost World Tribe.

With cats hailing from a wide variety of cultures, it’s normal for their festivities not to coincide, but there’s one celebration that 90% of them have in common: the winter solstice. Call it Christmas or Saturnalia—in the end, it’s the same thing, the same origin, the same holiday, and they all celebrate it together in harmony.

Winter is a time of prosperity, but spring is more dangerous: torrential rains flood the deepest ravines, and sometimes the water reaches almost to the clan’s camp. It’s a harsher season, so they prefer to celebrate winter’s abundance by gathering food and resources for when the spring storms arrive. They prepare walls to hold back the water that they must repair or rebuild each year, gather herbs and food in high, dry caves where they can take refuge if the weather worsens, and migrate with all their livestock to caves adapted as stables at the very top of the mountain.

Another common celebration is that of the first snows, usually held at the end of the season. The mountains rarely get covered in white beyond their peaks, but when the temperature rises and storms arrive, all the snow melts, seeps into the ground, and fills the aquifers from which the tribe draws its water. It’s not the torrential spring rains that run off into the sea that provide them with fresh water, but the snow, and that too is celebrated in grand style, synchronising it with the migration so they can play in the snow while tending to the beasts before the storms arrive.

[néktar]

Username + ID || néktar 217991
Sign-up Post Link || <3
Word Count || 427
Prompt ||

marbleclan as a whole is very resourceful in the long, usually frozen, winters. deep snow block some of our tunnels unless the guards are able to keep up with digging though our shaman would throw a fit. with most cats being cooped up in the sanctuary our artisans are the ones to keep our spirits high. often sharing winter poetry about the ice and cold or singing a jovial tune that the kits and apprentices dance to. also the grand reciting of long won battles and the spirits of the whispering wood.

they also house some outsiders during this time, either those who have lived on the island for many moons or some that are just arriving and got caught in the blizzard. they are welcome as long as they are able to assist in hunting or they will be taught to hunt by the apprentices.

the food is scarce but there are many places to find food still, luckily the sea will always provide fish in the shallow pools though the water is freezing. the sharing of tongues is always a way to warm the pelts of those who dove for the day, even some warriors taking the plunge. the fish is plentiful and filling, on these nights elfgiggle will play her harp in front of the brazier. the snowfall above her catching the light and sparkling against the silver shine of the instrument. her tone is soft and light, letting the lovers of the clan take the floor. weaving and swaying like the tall grasses in the spring breeze. lots of these smaller celebrations keep the hearts of the clan cats warm and bright.

some frosty winters bring many cats closer together, the darkness of the cave and the flickering of firelight aiding in their intensity. in turn these cats wish to announce their engagement to the clan, thusly leading to an entwining ceremony which all cats are overjoyed to celebrate. usually the sanctuary would be alive with the colorful flowers and prey offerings but with the barren island they turn to seashells, treasure, and fish. those of the clan bringing what they collected from their personal belongings to decorate the sanctuary for the newly mated.

though it has not always been the case, long ago under steel claw of obsidianstar their were no celebrations and the artisans were put to work in duties that did not suite them. long and grey were the winters in his time, but his bones have since withered back into the earth, forgotten, and never to be spoken of.