The Witch's Children - Plot found, thnx!

[Whimsical Blue]

Recently, Polette's Xarmag and my Mchawi were chosen in the mix'n match and given seven pups. Two boys and four girls, to be exact.

(colored by: Ecavi)
X - X - X - X - X - X - X

Having such a nice number of adult wild dogs to work with has made me want to do something... bigger with them than just gift or contest them off.

The only issue is... I don't know what to do! I had a vague pack concept, but there is another pack concept that's a little too similar to what I had in mind, so now I need some new ideas.

Things to keep in mind when suggesting plots: (Not ultimately required, just ups your chances)

- I would like to have them start their own pack (soa doesn't have enough of those) but I wouldn't be against giving them to another pack to give out if the plot sounded good.

- If they start a pack, I would love to be an ooc owner or just involved, but I can't be the one to run it all. I already have two prides and that's enough work for me!

- Four of these pups (and their mother) are colored half and half. There could be some cool possibilities with this!

- The whole family is natural colored. There could be some cool possibilities with this!

- I would prefer the family stay together, just because it would be cool to have them as a unit.

- They might know very little about their father. They are the product of a one nighter and Mchawi could care less about him at this point. Its up to Polette how involved she wants him to be.

- Their mother is not terribly... motherly. She's a witch, on sort of the chaotic neutral part of the spectrum and she loves to play pranks and generally cause mischief for other people. Depending on the plot, she could have abandoned them with another pack, or given them to someone else to raise, or she could have raised them herself to follow in her footsteps or be her little minions. She's not really a leader though, so she would not be interested in being the queen or ruler. She could be involved, sort of guiding from the shadows, or not involved at all.

- I think it would be fun to make them a pack with each member being the start of a 'clan' or family line, and a contest held to find each a mate. It would effectively double the group size to find mates, but could be a lot of work.

- Polette and I are entitled to choose one each from this group for ourselves without it counting as our one pup, but we haven't decided yet if we want to or which ones we want, so there is a possibility there are 5 or 7 to be given away to other people.

- Concept packs do not have to already have an interest thread. I'm fine with you making up something on the spot that you would love to own involving these seven siblings.

Some more recent thoughts:

- I'd prefer not to have duals in the structure of the pack. Either Seven equals, or one leader and six supporters, which could be split in two groups. So ~ 7, or 1:6, or 3:1:3. I know this is a little a**l, but its what feels right. xD

- While I did say that you could use their coloration as something important, I don't really care for the idea of splitting things up according to markings/colors. I agree with the people who have said they want a pack with little to no color restrictions. With how few packs there are right now, something more open could draw more people.

- I -heavily- support the idea of seven families, based from these seven dogs. While I don't like color deciding jobs or ranks, I am open to having each family known for a trade or occupation that the pups inherit. People could perhaps then switch jobs by being 'adopted' into the appropriate family... and this would give rogues the option for the same, to join the pack and be 'adopted' into a family with the trade they wish to have, or perhaps be a low ranked 'orphan'. Each family could be divided into its own ranks with things like patriarch, matriarch, guards, hunters, nannies, historians, youths, adopted, etc.

- While I like the idea of a sun/moon relationship, I feel that its maybe over done? There have been a few prides/packs now that have had sun/moon influences and I'd like to steer away from that. I would rather go with the family idea, because these are seven blood-related dogs. Same would go for any chinese-themed ideas, as Tianxia has that already.

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So! Feel free to post here with your ideas and plot offers for the group. If you don't feel comfortable putting things out in the open, you are free to PM me directly with a note posted here saying you are doing so.

I reserve the right to chose any or none of the plots proposed (with Polette's help), but there is a great opportunity here for a new pack or new members for an existing pack or concept, and great plots that could come from having seven siblings to play with and a crazy, witchy mother.

Keep in mind, I won't be running any pack that gets formed! All I'm doing is providing you guys with seven siblings to fuel your own plots! I may suggest things or like things posted, but in the end the concept needs to come from you, the one who's gonna run things!

Also, don't let the amount of posts or discussion frighten you off. I'm taking offers, so I'd love to see as many different ideas as possible. You don't have to take suggestions from the things already posted.

 

[Andranis]

I don't feel I could do these beautiful dogs justice with RP, but I read the information, and looked at them, and the first thing to come to mind was a pack of witch-dogs. Like... They grow up basically emulating their mother, and then form a pack based on it(With boys being warlocks), maybe with the seven clans deal? To make things interesting, the heir to each clan has to be the opposite gender of the current leader(So the next generation's clan leaders would be five boys and two girls, and flip-flop back and forth each generation). While the pack could be accepting of ANY coat colors, the clan leaders and their mates can only be natural colors, and the heir would have to ALSO be natural colors. I also noticed that two of the sisters have heterochromia, so there's another thing they could prize in the pack!

Just some ideas to toss out there ~ I entirely encourage others to take it and run with it in new directions if they want to xd  

[Whimsical Blue]

Its not a bad idea and I played around with some ideas that were wiccan or voodoo based, buuuut we already have two (or more) prides with those sorts of themes, so I want something pretty unique for these folks.

Nature/spirit worship would be good. Could possibly go Native American with them, to add a bit of distinction. *nod* Coyote was a trickster spirit, if I recall.  

[Hopefolly]

I was just telling Kael yesterday how I wished SoA had half as many packs as prides. Count me in if you make one. Aside from lions, I have more WD than anything and they're usually neglected because there's just so little 'round here to do with them.

That being said, can I put in my two cents about the pack not being restricted to "natural" colors? We have so many color-bias prides/whatever already, and especially since the WD world is lacking packs anyway, I'd hate for some of mine to be counted out automatically just for not being "natural". emotion_8c  

[Talencia]

(My idea is kinda half formed, and wants to be written this way... it isn't a complete idea, by any means, but there it is.)

There are two sides to everything that exists. Dark and light. Hot and Cold. Magical and Mundane. There are always two sides, and this makes balance. It is this balance that we, the First Seven, believe in.

Those that are most in balance embody that perfect state by the coat the gods have given them. The most perfectly balanced are those half and half, two colors balanced in harmony. (This could be any two colors, and any coat pattern as long as the colors exist in equality.) These are the blessed ones, who see beyond the mortal world and speak with the spirits, hear their voices, and share their messages. (Perhaps these are the spiritual leaders?)

Not all can be wholly balanced, but many still evidence that their soul is at balance with the world, by their god-given coat being but two colors. (This would be any pattern whatsoever, so long as there are only two colors of fur.) These, while not capable of hearing the spirits, are given the responsibility of hearing nature, what the cicadas sing, what the wind whispers, what the shadows desire. They tend to the world, keep it in balance, and ensure that all will thrive. (Hunters, Herbalists, etc?)

Some are not wholly in balance, their coats scattered with pieces of the world that prevent them from hearing spirits or nature call. But their colors allow them to understand the needs of others, as varied as they are. They listen, not to nature or to spirits, but to other creatures. They tend the pack, comfort its woes, and defend its people. (Warriors, Medics, Pupsitters, etc.)

Sadly, there are those in the world who have no balance at all. Cursed with pelts of a single color, they exist to imbalance the world and invite chaos. They are shunned by the pack, seen as infinitely dangerous and despised. They are chased off pack lands, and if, oh woe, one should be born within the pack, the pup is taken beyond the borders and abandoned, left to live or die as the gods see fit.

(So thar you go. This is what popped into my head when I read your ideas and thoughts for the siblings. Perhaps they banded together as their mother attempted to raise them, and altered her chaotic ways into something more steady and reliable?)  

[Whimsical Blue]

That's not a bad idea, Tal, if someone wants to take it and flesh it out some!

Again, I can't run a pack, so someone is gonna hafta volunteer to take it on. xD  

[Thalion]

I can't help run anything either but reading over it, it might be a cool idea if mom sets one of her babies up as a leader and kind of runs things in the background. OR you can have something like...mom wants to create a pack but she doesn't want to name one of her kids a leader officially, instead she wants to see them try to out-compete one another until she decides one's worth putting the effort into towards building a pack. It would make for a lot of squabbling and a few interesting opening plot ideas. XD Maybe each sibling has to go out and gather as many followers as possible in x amount of time, come back to mom, etc. A lot of loose ideas but family drama's always fun plot-wise.  

[Whimsical Blue]

I missed folly's post, but it is a worthy note that there are a lot of color restriction in prides. There are also a lot that don't though.

Sometimes prides that are restrictive (aka firekin) do really well and sometimes others that aren't at all (aka pridelands) do just as well. It all comes down to the owners' level of activity. Prides die when their owners don't keep them active by rping and offering plot ideas. Its not always easy to do and sometimes things get slow, but you have to care, or its not going anywhere. xD

Thal's idea isn't a bad one either. It wouldn't be out of the question that all seven siblings rule together, again going back to the idea of a set of seven 'clans', with or without a competition to see who will be the high king or queen. It could be an ongoing thing, with no one getting the upper hand, or something that happens each generation as the high king moves from a different clan each time, ala Avatar style.  

[Talencia]

Well, that's why I thought perhaps it wouldn't be the colors themselves that would be the restriction, but the distribution of color that was the focus. There aren't TOO many plain, one color SoA, so it wouldn't exclude very many characters at all.  

[Thalion]

That would be kind of an interesting idea. Kind of like a lot of ancient cultures where there was a disagreement/split in the family, each 'founder' started their own clan but they all share the same territory. I'd be up for helping out with that but I can't do too terribly much XD  

[Fairy Snails]

If you do have seven clans, you could have each of the clans be represented by the moon's phases. (counting new moon and quarter moon as one) Just a small idea.  

[Hopefolly]

The Firekin also has lines, which makes a difference whether it's taboo to say so or not. XD And, they've been around a long time, so they're grandfathered into everyone's good graces or at least into recognition. They have history, lines, and Kim and Mims are running them super well so all of that contributes to their success. But I'm not really making the point on behalf of potential activity (or lack thereof), so I digress.

I said it because there are so few wild dog packs. While there are a lot of prides that are not emphasizing appearance (such as the Pridelands as you said, Blue), there aren't a lot of packs who do because there just aren't a lot of packs period. Hence why we have to compare them to lion prides instead of, y'know, other packs. =(

I openly admit I would be sadface if a cool WD pack popped up with color restrictions due in part to personal reasons -- which are just wanting my own WD to be involved in a pack that would fit them and being short options as it stands. But I also think wild dogs are overdue more packs that aren't too restrictive or at least have potential to include everyone.

On that note, I like Tal's idea except I disagree with solid colors being banned and I'd vote to at least make them some kind of low rank.

The other idea Blue first mentioned I think is awesome too and starting "clans" could be a great jumping point.  

[Hopefolly]

Oh, AND: Groups that are color restrictive (or otherwise restrictive) tend to be harder for rogues to join in ways that are actually in-character of them. Most wild dog are rogues, obviously, so that's another reason.

A lot of people will yield or find ways to work around their character's personality to "force" them to join (especially if there are no or few other options), but that can get incredibly frustrating. I'm sure most of us have at least one rogue lion that's only a rogue simply because we can't reason a realistic way they would join a pride even if we OOCly would like them to for more RP opportunities.  

[Polette]

*loves intensely on thread*

<333

 

[I Lady Kiya I]

Seeing as how some are half and half colors, maybe a yin and yang type of pride, kinda like Tal's idea, but like yin and yang maybe have a good side and a dark side type of thing. :3