[VR] APPLICATION
Player
Name: TJ/Ursa
E-mail: ursamajorillustration@gmail.com
Preferred Contact:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cloverborn ; ursys on discord ; ![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
cloverborn
Timezone: EST/UTC-4
Current Characters in Victory Road: N/A
Character
Name: Crookedkit
Series: Warriors
Timeline: Crookedstar's Promise, in the time between his return from the Moonstone and the beginning of his apprenticeship
Canon Resource Links: Wiki 1 Wiki 2 Wiki 3
Personality: ⚠️ CWs: emotional abuse, self loathing
From his earliest memory, Crookedkit, born Stormkit, has been ambitious, energetic, and a troublemaker. No border could hold him, no warrior could scold him, and like many young kits he determined quickly that he was going to one day be a legendary leader of RiverClan. His mother's adoration and high expectations for him and his brother fostered a thriving ego, though his brother and his older denmates were always eager to compete with him. This created a severe weakness for him, however, as much of his sense of self worth was built on what others thought of him. For many this isn't a particularly major problem until later in life, but when Stormkit accidentally broke his jaw and his mother cruelly rejected him as a result, his faith in himself came crashing down - hard. Rainflower's continuous insistence on not only rejecting her son for his disability but actively undermining him, along with his Clanmates' pity and the gap his malnourishment created between himself and his brother in terms of physical strength, stripped Crookedkit of almost every source of validation he felt he had in his young life and left him feeling like a walking embarrassment. This despair was so absolute that his desperation for approval and acceptance drove him to prematurely leave his Clan and seek direct guidance from StarClan, and then to take an extended stay with a family of farm cats when they showed him even the smallest amount of real acceptance and kindness.
Crookedkit's experiences at the barn with Fleck and his family would help him heal and lay the foundations for him to later mature into a much kinder cat than he might have otherwise been - in addition to likely saving his life by teaching him how to hunt and feed himself - but the cruel lessons Crookedkit had learned early in his life could not be entirely reversed. His trust in his family and indeed in others in general had been irrevocably broken in many respects, and this remains a noticeable character trait for him now. At a time in his life when most are starry-eyed, ambitious, and trusting, Crookedkit is unusually and sometimes worryingly sullen. His mother has never accepted or forgiven him after his accident, despite the tremendous hurdles he's managed to surpass at such a young age and Crookedkit's own stubborn hope that things might change if he keeps trying to earn it, and this fosters a hurt and distrust in him that he carries into all of his relationships. Tragedy after tragedy would only reinforce this pattern as he matures in book canon, coming to a head when he very nearly murders his own brother over their ongoing disagreements on matters of family and parenting. At times, Crookedkit can be exceptionally harsh and cruel to those who care about him without meaning to, mostly because has internalized Rainflower's cruelty and sometimes sees and treats himself as a victim or martyr who does not deserve the kindness he receives from others.
It's not all doom and gloom for Crookedkit, though; bitter and vindictive as he is, Fleck, Mapleshade, and his brother Oakpaw were still able to rekindle much of his enthusiasm and ambition. Fleck, Oakpaw, and Brambleberry especially have instilled in him an early understanding that kindness is a strength that often goes underestimated. He is an extremely compassionate young cat who is willing to push, bend, and even break the rules if he thinks that it means doing the right thing for someone else. Much of Crookedkit's courage shows through not in feats of great daring or perseverance, but in his unwavering desire to make others feel safe and happy. His compassion is one of his greatest strengths, and in canon, it remains such for most of his life.
What kind of cat he may become away from the family and difficult reminders that shaped his early life is, of course, in large part a mystery, heavily dependent on where he goes and who he surrounds himself with, if anyone. Most Clan cats learn to be xenophobic to a significant degree from an early age, and Crookedkit is no exception. He may have a hard time trusting strangers at all and instead prefer to brood in his own company, but in a friendly environment such as this, he may be able to heal in ways that a life in the Clans - dogged by Mapleshade, dragged through a gamut of personal tragedies, and entrenched in a deeply flawed culture that teeters on the verge of birthing fascist dictatorships in the very next generation - are simply not a realistic possibility. Crookedkit could learn to forgive himself more freely and understand where his agency ends and bad luck begins; he might come to recognize that his mother's actions were wrong; he may realize at a younger age that Mapleshade's encouragement of his own ambitions was a manipulation meant to draw him down a selfish and destructive path. Whatever lessons Crookedkit may or may not learn, however, it can be expected that he will, in his own time, find people he can love as family, and grow into someone who is fiercely devoted not just to their safety, but to their comfort and joy.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Greedent (reclaimed via re-app, initial starter was Barboach)
Password: Atomic Fireball
Samples
RP Sample: LINK
Victory Road Sample: LINK
Name: TJ/Ursa
E-mail: ursamajorillustration@gmail.com
Preferred Contact:
cloverborn ; ursys on discord ; Timezone: EST/UTC-4
Current Characters in Victory Road: N/A
Character
Name: Crookedkit
Series: Warriors
Timeline: Crookedstar's Promise, in the time between his return from the Moonstone and the beginning of his apprenticeship
Canon Resource Links: Wiki 1 Wiki 2 Wiki 3
Personality: ⚠️ CWs: emotional abuse, self loathing
From his earliest memory, Crookedkit, born Stormkit, has been ambitious, energetic, and a troublemaker. No border could hold him, no warrior could scold him, and like many young kits he determined quickly that he was going to one day be a legendary leader of RiverClan. His mother's adoration and high expectations for him and his brother fostered a thriving ego, though his brother and his older denmates were always eager to compete with him. This created a severe weakness for him, however, as much of his sense of self worth was built on what others thought of him. For many this isn't a particularly major problem until later in life, but when Stormkit accidentally broke his jaw and his mother cruelly rejected him as a result, his faith in himself came crashing down - hard. Rainflower's continuous insistence on not only rejecting her son for his disability but actively undermining him, along with his Clanmates' pity and the gap his malnourishment created between himself and his brother in terms of physical strength, stripped Crookedkit of almost every source of validation he felt he had in his young life and left him feeling like a walking embarrassment. This despair was so absolute that his desperation for approval and acceptance drove him to prematurely leave his Clan and seek direct guidance from StarClan, and then to take an extended stay with a family of farm cats when they showed him even the smallest amount of real acceptance and kindness.
Crookedkit's experiences at the barn with Fleck and his family would help him heal and lay the foundations for him to later mature into a much kinder cat than he might have otherwise been - in addition to likely saving his life by teaching him how to hunt and feed himself - but the cruel lessons Crookedkit had learned early in his life could not be entirely reversed. His trust in his family and indeed in others in general had been irrevocably broken in many respects, and this remains a noticeable character trait for him now. At a time in his life when most are starry-eyed, ambitious, and trusting, Crookedkit is unusually and sometimes worryingly sullen. His mother has never accepted or forgiven him after his accident, despite the tremendous hurdles he's managed to surpass at such a young age and Crookedkit's own stubborn hope that things might change if he keeps trying to earn it, and this fosters a hurt and distrust in him that he carries into all of his relationships. Tragedy after tragedy would only reinforce this pattern as he matures in book canon, coming to a head when he very nearly murders his own brother over their ongoing disagreements on matters of family and parenting. At times, Crookedkit can be exceptionally harsh and cruel to those who care about him without meaning to, mostly because has internalized Rainflower's cruelty and sometimes sees and treats himself as a victim or martyr who does not deserve the kindness he receives from others.
It's not all doom and gloom for Crookedkit, though; bitter and vindictive as he is, Fleck, Mapleshade, and his brother Oakpaw were still able to rekindle much of his enthusiasm and ambition. Fleck, Oakpaw, and Brambleberry especially have instilled in him an early understanding that kindness is a strength that often goes underestimated. He is an extremely compassionate young cat who is willing to push, bend, and even break the rules if he thinks that it means doing the right thing for someone else. Much of Crookedkit's courage shows through not in feats of great daring or perseverance, but in his unwavering desire to make others feel safe and happy. His compassion is one of his greatest strengths, and in canon, it remains such for most of his life.
What kind of cat he may become away from the family and difficult reminders that shaped his early life is, of course, in large part a mystery, heavily dependent on where he goes and who he surrounds himself with, if anyone. Most Clan cats learn to be xenophobic to a significant degree from an early age, and Crookedkit is no exception. He may have a hard time trusting strangers at all and instead prefer to brood in his own company, but in a friendly environment such as this, he may be able to heal in ways that a life in the Clans - dogged by Mapleshade, dragged through a gamut of personal tragedies, and entrenched in a deeply flawed culture that teeters on the verge of birthing fascist dictatorships in the very next generation - are simply not a realistic possibility. Crookedkit could learn to forgive himself more freely and understand where his agency ends and bad luck begins; he might come to recognize that his mother's actions were wrong; he may realize at a younger age that Mapleshade's encouragement of his own ambitions was a manipulation meant to draw him down a selfish and destructive path. Whatever lessons Crookedkit may or may not learn, however, it can be expected that he will, in his own time, find people he can love as family, and grow into someone who is fiercely devoted not just to their safety, but to their comfort and joy.
Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Greedent (reclaimed via re-app, initial starter was Barboach)
Password: Atomic Fireball
Samples
RP Sample: LINK
Victory Road Sample: LINK
VR SAMPLE
Crookedkit scowls with pointed frustration down at his starter, laying uselessly on the grass at his feet. The Pidgey he had hoped to battle flutters its little wings once before flying off into the trees. Frog dirt.
He's supposed to be a trainer. It took some learning to figure out what that meant, but now he's confident that it's kind of like being a warrior - something that, once he figured it out, Crookedkit has been absolutely adamant to pursue and excel at. But how is he supposed to win anything when his only Poke-mon is a boring loach that doesn't do anything?? He can't even ask other trainers for help, all the Twoleg kits he's tried to ask having just attacked him and sent him running with his...well, he doesn't have a tail anymore, but if he did it would have been between his legs.
At the rate things are going, he's tempted to just start throwing his Poke-balls at things, with or without Barb Loach's help. It's not like he can really expect a fish to do much anyway. He could drop it into some water somewhere maybe, but he needs Poke-mon that can fight on land!!
It's after one more noncommittal loooch from his starter that Crookedkit finally resolves to go through with his plan. He has to catch something eventually, right? And if he uses up all his Poke-balls before he can, someone will notice and give him some help. Probably. Hopefully.
"Okay frog-brain," he grumbles to his floppy companion. "If you're not gonna help then I'm just gonna have to help myself. Come on."
With some effort, he picks up the Barboach in one hand and wobbles up onto his feet. Walking on two Twoleg feet is hard, but Crookedkit thinks he's getting the hang of it even if he's not really graceful with it yet...He thinks briefly of Fleck, back at the barn. It had been nice for someone to help him figure out how to eat better with his jaw in the state it was. And it would sure be nice if someone could do it again for him with this walking thing.
As it is, though, he has no choice but to awkwardly tiptoe through the woods, the slimy cool of Barboach in his hand the most help she seems inclined to offer at the moment.
He encounters no small number of interesting creatures as he goes. Mostly it's rats and birds of different kinds, and at one point Crookedkit nearly trips over what he's sure is some weird pink kit, but he passes by all of them. If he's going to be a great trainer, he figures, he'll need to enlist only the strongest poke-mon to help him, and that means skittish prey and kits simply won't do. Instead he roams around with his ears straining for a familiar sound. The best sound. He would much rather rely on his nose, of course, but Twolegs can't smell anything!! They can barely hear anything too, but at least it will be easier to listen for that familiar babbling of running, splashing water than to try to pick out the subtle difference between normal damp soil and stream-soaked sand.
What Crookedkit finds after almost a whole day of wandering (a day?! he doesn't feel that tired!) is...disappointing. Not a river, not a creek, barely a rivulet. Just a tiny outlet that splashes pitifully down into a muddy fox-sized puddle full of slick, oily silt.
He wrinkles his nose at the sight of it. Maybe for now it's not that bad that he can't smell all the gross details. There's nothing in the water, but Crookedkit is confident that if he waits here, he'll find something worthwhile. The only Poke-mon worth his time are those fitting a great RiverClan warrior, after all. Poke-mon that don't skulk around like ShadowClan schemers or ThunderClan hunters, ones that know water is the key to...well, everything, as far as Crookedkit is concerned.
So his plan is to sit by the water and wait. And wait he does...until finally he surrenders to fatigue and curls up as best he can on the damp leaves. Oblivious to the curious little creature that eventually wanders from the undergrowth to tuck in close beside him, sharing warmth with soft, downy feathers that fill his dreams with happy memories of a warm nursery nest, his mother and brother nestled with him.